By Naresh Namindla csc –
Readings: Dan 7: 2:14; Lk 21: 29-33
In the first reading of today, Daniel has seen four kinds of beasts in his vision, i.e., the lion, bear, leopard, and the Son of man. Among them, the fourth beast, who is the Son of Man, is seen as the one who has everlasting dominion, and his kingdom has no end. The kingdom of the Son of man is forever and everlasting. This vision gives hope to Daniel to follow the fourth beast to seek truth that would give him a chance to be part of the everlasting kingdom of God.
The gospel reading invites us to be alert in noticing the changes happening in and around our society. They communicate something to us. For example, the disciples knew when the summer came when they noticed a fig tree. Daniel was able to distinguish the fourth Beast as truth and powerful. The creations of God and the world are constantly communicating to us the will and purpose of God.
Among the plenty of disturbances such as the pandemic situation or the difficult times in life, the question is, are we able to listen to God and distinguish his will and purpose for us just like Daniel distinguished the truth in his vision in the first reading? We often think that those difficult times in life and the pandemic have brought us pain and suffering. As a result, we fail to pay attention to the purposes and will of God revealed to us through different signs of the times.
Therefore, we need to pay attention to the signs of the times and discover the will of God through prayer and grace of God.