Tuesday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time
Dan 2:31-45
Lk 21:5-11
“…the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.”
Today’s readings have a sombre consistency in their focus on how everything will eventually be destroyed. They remind me of a book I read earlier this year, which touched on the history of ancient civilisations which flourished and fell; they also seem grimly relevant in today’s context where we regularly hear about regimes and/or figures of authority being toppled and, more recently, how our planet itself is under threat. On a personal level, the passages also remind me of the transience of our own lives, something I used to think a bit about every November when we mark All Souls’ Day, but perhaps increasingly more often, as I see my family and friends ageing. It is a bit difficult not to feel overwhelmed with fear and despair, especially since we are still in the midst of a pandemic that has upended much of life as we know it.
However, the readings also made me recall instances when signs of God’s kingdom remained standing, when everything else fell into ruin. Probably the most striking example I can think of now is the golden cross of the Notre Dame Cathedral, shining intact amid the destruction wrought by the massive fire which ravaged the cathedral in 2019. Nonetheless, there have been other churches which remained largely unscathed after natural disasters, and the saints — both known and unknown — whom we celebrated earlier this month, are shining examples of how ordinary people’s acts of love, courage and devotion live on through the ages.
Perhaps these readings ultimately bring us back to this week’s overall theme — that Christ is our true King, whose kingdom is already among us right now, if we keep our minds and hearts open to His gentle call. This also brings to mind a homily I recently heard about how we need to remember that we are accountable to God, not because He is keeping track of how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ we are, but because He wants a genuine relationship with us. This is a truth we can hold on to always.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jaclyn Lam)
Prayer: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Lord, thank you for keeping us close to you always. Strengthen our faith and grant us the grace and wisdom to discern Your ways amid the ways of the world.
OXYGEN 
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