“Courage in Faith” by Colleen O’Sullivan

 

“Courage in Faith” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us!  But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Piety

Lord, let us always be aware of your steadfast and loving presence.

Study

When I was a young child, I had a distorted understanding of courage and suffering.  I looked at Jesus on the Cross and prayed to be stoic like I thought he was.  Had I known the story of the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel, I probably would have had the same thoughts about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  I would have wanted to be fearless as I might have imagined they were in their time of trial.

Such thoughts are a gross distortion of the truth.  Jesus, we remember, prayed in the garden at Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.”  He didn’t want to die.  As he prayed, Luke tells us the Lord’s sweat became like drops of blood. (Lk. 22:41-44) Jesus, in His humanity, suffered just as you or I would.  The same thing was true of the three sons in today’s first reading.  They were human, and they must have been quaking inside at the thought of being thrown into a white-hot furnace. 

Now, we find ourselves on the firing line, so to speak, during this COVID-19 pandemic.  We’re frightened, and understandably so.  On Sunday evening, most of my family had dinner together via Zoom.  Five households joined online.  At one point, my gaze wandered to each of the windows as I prayed that I would see all those same smiling faces around a real dining room table in one of our homes when this is over.

I think of my brother, seriously ill, awaiting a lung transplant, and wonder if it will happen in time.  I think of my sister-in-law, with breast cancer, but whose surgery has been put off for months as “elective” because of the epidemic raging throughout our country and around the globe and in our towns.  We all are praying similar prayers.

The Good News today and every day is that we are never alone with our fears.  God is always with us.  Whether or not King Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew God to be faithful to all God’s people, and they weren’t about to be faithless in return.  Awareness of the steadfast, loving presence of our Lord is what will give us the courage to carry on in faith in the days and weeks ahead. 

Action

Carrying on means continuing to pray.  In prayer, we will find our strength and our courage.

It also means taking seriously the need to show our love for our brothers and sisters by heeding the order to stay home except for essential trips to buy groceries, etc.  There will be days when that will seem an almost impossible task.  We will feel loneliness, boredom, or the desire to escape the other inhabitants of our households. Still, it’s the only way to stop the spread of the virus.  When we do venture out, hopefully, we can remember to check with our neighbors who require help obtaining groceries or medications.