1ST READING
Daniel
correctly interprets the dreams of the king and is given a high place
in his kingdom. I do not think we should pay too much attention to
dreams as they are notoriously difficult to interpret. There is no exact
science in their interpretation; so much of what happens is pretty much
guesswork. However, there can be times when God uses them to convey a
message to us. We should be open to whatever means God wants to use to
speak to us.
Daniel 2:31-45
31 Daniel
said to Nebuchadnezzar: “In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very
large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood
before you. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze, 33 the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile. 34 While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being
put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces. 35 The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence. 37 You, O king, are the king of
kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory; 38 men,
wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has
handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of
gold. 39 Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. 40 There
shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and
subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes
everything
else. 41 The
feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron, mean
that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness
of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile, 42 and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 The
iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by
intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes
with clay. 44 In
the lifetime
of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never
be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break
in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand
forever. 45 That
is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a
hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze,
silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be
in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is
sure.”
P S A L M
Daniel 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61
R: Give glory and eternal praise to him.
34 [Dan 3:57] “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R) 35 [Dan 3:58] “Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R) 36 [Dan 3:59] “You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R) 37 [Dan 3:60] “All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” 38 [Dan 3:61] All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R)
GOSPEL
Tragedies,
wars, and natural and man-made disasters are part and parcel of the way
of living. We should not try to read any sinister or negative messages
into them when they occur. We are living in the end times. The end times
began with the birth of Jesus. We should be preparing ourselves for
Jesus’ return but that is true for all people since His birth. Seeking
to know the date of Jesus’ return is a fool’s errand and a waste of
time.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Luke 21:5-11
5 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, 6 “All
that you see here — the days will come when there will not be left a
stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” 7 Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” 8 He
answered,
“See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! 9 When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and
awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
think: We should be open to whatever means God wants to use to speak to us.
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
____________________________________
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Psalm 116-118
No comments:
Post a Comment