Daily Reflection Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Both Scripture readings today give us warnings. Because King Belshazzar has rebelled against God, Daniel warns him of his punishment. Daniel is a prophet, not someone who foretells the future, but one who witnesses to us for God. He takes a great risk in explaining that the signs on the wall signify that because of his selfishness, the king had rebelled against God. 

 We need to recognize signs in our own personal lives: signs of selfishness and rebellion, signs of caution, generosity, patience and hope. If we are responding to the Divine invitation and trying to live according to the commandments, the works of mercy, and the beatitudes, we are deepening our relationship with God, as well as respecting our neighbor. It really comes down to assessing our individual value systems. Yes, we, too, experience ominous signs. But these signs are generally within our hearts. These signs lead us to discernment and to answer the question, “What does God want of me?” 

    The tone of the Scripture writings during this last week of the liturgical year jolt us into questioning our motives for speaking and acting. The word of God warns us. How are we using our natural talents? Amid all the chaos that we are witnessing in our nation and in our world, we need to turn to our God who has generously gifted us with talents not only to deepen our own experience of God but to share with those in need. Perhaps, we can take that nebulous phrase, “share with those in need,” and knead it into practice. We ponder the works of mercy and discern which ones I am invited to practice here and now. We can be like King Belshazzar and continue to party while others are suffering. Or we can share what we have: money, kindness, respect, labor, hope—all those treasures God has given each one of us personally.

    Kindness frees us from the cruelty that at times infects human relationships, from the anxiety that prevents us from thinking of others, from the frantic flurry of activity that forgets that others have a right to be happy. Often nowadays we find neither the time nor the energy to stop and be kind to others, to say  “excuse me,” “pardon me,” “thank you.” Yet every now and then, miraculously, a kind person appears and is willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general indifference. If we make a daily effort to do exactly this, we can create a healthy social atmosphere in which misunderstandings can be overcome and conflict forestalled.”—Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti