Daioy Readings

Monday March 9, 2009 of the 2nd Week of Lent
Readings: Daniel 9: 4b-10 Psalm 79 Luke 6: 36-38
Psalm response: “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins”

Daniel was written in the apocalyptic style in vogue for about 200 years before the advent of Christ and the deliverance from sin advanced from His Passion, death and Resurrection.
Apocalyptic literature writes of persecution which predates the actual time but emulates the conditions found by the people of the time.
When Alexander the Great, had conquered the known world, he prematurely died at the age of 28. He willed portions of his kingdom to several of his generals. One of them, Epiphanies I, who oversaw the area which included Palestine under his realm, was so enamored of himself, he and some of his Greek subjects considered him a god. He insisted on being adored and venerated by all his subjects but, of course, most of the Jews
wouldn’t bow down to his demands. So, he made life miserable for them.
Daniel, living and composing his “prophecy” during Epiphanis’ years, reflected to the Babylonian captivity to emphasize, in the end, God will be the victor in the debate, because He is immortal and all the kings, past and present would die while He remains.
How wonderful are these words of wisdom. Though not foretelling in the true sense of these words, the future failure of the Greeks, Romans and Parthian and any other world conqueror was immanent!
We can receive solace from Daniel’s words of promise. In the end, God will be the winner with us receiving His Grace.

The Psalm and response implore God’s mercy. Realizing all generations will be lulled into complacency and sin by appearances; he asks God not to remember our failings but to recall His promise to remain with us until He comes again!

In His advice to His disciples, Jesus instructs them to be as they expect His father and Him to be. Merciful, not judgmental, forgiving, offering hope and the Grace to follow His will for us.
In our culture, we cannot understand Jesus’ uses of clothing as a receptacle. In metaphoric terms, when a client approached a merchant for a commodity, like flour, to bake bread for his family, paper sacks didn’t exist. Instead the tunics worn would be held to make a receptacle for the items purchased. The tradesman woulf pour the commodity into the folds of the garment.
Therefore, the people hearing the term, “Good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, they could visualize God’s mercy as infinite to which we are to imitate.