Today’s Readings:
Daniel 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28
Daniel 3:62-67
Luke 21:12-19
According to Newton's third law of motion, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” For example, while swimming, you push the water backward. The water, in turn, pushes you forward. In simpler terms, every action carries within itself the seed of its consequence. When you do good, you receive a good reward. Conversely, if you sin against God by offending your neighbour or your relationship with Him, you receive some “strokes of the cane” (Luke 12:47-59).
When King Belshazzar used the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple to serve his guests, the very act was the seed of his destruction. A hand appeared and wrote on the wall: “Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.” Was God peering down at him from heaven with a binocular, with flashes of thunderbolts—waiting to strike? Not at all! Our very thoughts, words, actions, and omissions have within them the seed of our punishment or blessings.
What were the sins of Belshazzar which caused a finger to write on the palace wall?
Unbelief – He failed to acknowledge the God of Israel and chose to do as he pleased with God’s property.
Vain glory - He sought to please his friends and family by displaying the spoils of his father's conquest.
Sacrilege – He used vessels that were dedicated to the worship of God for his entertainment and pleasure.
Idolatry – He worshipped gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—things that are not deities at all.
King Belshazzar’s punishment was three-fold:
“Mene” – God put an end to his kingship.
“Tekel” – God weighed his spiritual life and found him wanting.
“Parsin” – His kingdom was parcelled out to the Medes and Persians.
That very night, he was murdered.
What can we learn from this?
There is a consequence for every action, good or bad.
Heaven is seen in everything we do. Ask yourself before you do anything, “How will this lead me closer to God and my final destination?”
Do not hope to make yourself better by putting others down.
Treat sacred things, places, and persons with the respect they deserve—they hold blessings and curses, so be careful.
Faithfulness to God in whatever state of life will certainly bring you divine protection and endless blessings—which will extend to your progeny.
Faithfulness to God and everything else connected to you rests on the bedrock of consistency. Start well, continue well, and end well.
Every prayer you say with devotion earns you a blessing that will profit you and your generation. Most of us are enjoying the blessings our parents worked for.
Give to God the time, devotion, and preoccupation that is reserved for Him. If you give God’s time to material things (money, career, fame, etc.), they will fail you abysmally.
JUDE-MARY OWOH
Prayer:
My loving Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I consecrate myself to your Sacred Heart, and I offer myself with You to the Father in your Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with my prayer, work, sufferings, and joys of this day, in reparation for my sins, and that your Kingdom come. Amen.
Thank you so much Lord for the gift of today. I offer it to you at thanksgiving. Help me, by your grace, to use it for your glory.
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