Memorial of Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr
This year has been a crazy one when it comes to political alliances (and dis-alliances). The European Economic Union seems poised to break apart, and heads of state that I never thought would be gone (at least not this year) have been dethroned because of the economy. The Arabian Spring brought in several other new leaders, and civil war elsewhere will may bring some new heads of state before year's end. Political alliances are being re-forged, and whatever new relationships come will surely have an affect on the economy and our lives in some small way - but in what way, exactly? This we do not know, and so anxiety sets in.
So we can identify, I think, when Daniel is foretelling King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in today's first reading (Daniel 2:31-45). The king has been having a lot of dreams, and he has been frantically trying to find someone who can tell him the meaning of these dreams. Nebuchadnezzar's old standbys, his own fortune tellers and dream tellers, have been unable to interpret; indeed they have told the king that interpreting his dreams is impossible, because "the gods do not dwell among humans" (v. 11). But Daniel asks for God's guidance, and in this dream tells the king exactly what he has dreamed and then also tells the king that his own kingdom is doomed and that none of these kingdoms is strong enough to withstand changing alliances and shifting winds. Rather a lot like our own time.
It's a pretty tough interpretation and it takes guts for Daniel to say what he said, which should make us wonder: did the other interpreters say they couldn't interpret the dream simply because it was conveying bad news? After all, it's not terribly difficult to predict that any one kingdom or nation or people will undergo some tough trials, for these things happen all the time. It's far more difficult to try to constantly predict that good things will happen all the time. That is what the kings wanted, and those who couldn't give it to them put their prophets to death.
Don't we do this too, in a way? We tend expect good news all the time, and when it doesn't come, the social costs can be enormous - for our politicians, our local government, and for us in our own work and daily life too.
Yet, NOT facing the truth about ourselves and our world is also costly. It is costly for two reasons: one is that if we can't face the truth about our world, then we're living a lie. And that's exactly what non-Christians think Christians are doing anyway. Much better to be focused on truth, for what is true, is from God. But the second reason that not facing the truth about ourselves is costly is that we deny ourselves a chance at REAL happiness and REAL peace.
In today's gospel (Luke 21:5-11), Jesus talks about all the things that will happen before he comes again: nations warring, insurrections, earthquakes, and famines. My own question when I read this is, "When have these things NOT happened?" Many of the scriptures we've focused on this fall have been about the fact that we mere humans cannot predict when God will act, when Jesus will come again, based on our own intelligence. Rather we must focus on God and God's work. So too, trying to pick out the end of time based on the fact that we think there are more earthquakes than there have been in the past will not do.
Instead, Jesus tells us that in the midst of all this change, which will happen regardless, we should not be terrified. Instead we will seek God's peace. What should mark Christians out? It is that they are not afraid of the future, not because bad things won't happen, but because Christians know these things will happen, but all is in God's hands regardless! This is why we celebrate witnesses like St. Cecilia, whose memorial we observe today. She was one of those who knew, without a doubt, that death was not the end, and no terrible thing that could happen could separate us from the fact that God is "all in all" (to quote from Sunday's scriptures).
So today, let us pray for courage and faith in God, so that we will not be afraid about the changes going on all around us.
- Jana M. Bennett