Monday of the 5th week of Lent
Dan. 13: 1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62 John 8: 12-20
Theme: God will come through
In the 1st reading of today, from the Book of the prophet Daniel, we are presented with the popular story of the two elders and Susanna the wife of Joakim. A story that has a lot of lessons for all of us as children of God. Susanna was described as a woman who was upright and had the fear of God. This is seen in the way she resisted the advances of the two evil elders and preferred to die instead of obeying the elders to do what they wanted, just like others before her had done out of fear and the stigma that will go with such a story. As Christians in our own time, we are all encouraged to emulate the uprightness of Susanna in our daily lives, even when the situation becomes very difficult and challenging, just like that of Susanna, trusting that God will come through for you when it matters most; just like in the case of Susanna. God did not allow her to die, as planned by the elders. God rather brought Daniel into the picture when it mattered most, and she was rescued from the evil manipulation of the wicked elders and what they planned for her became their final judgement. Evil, most times has a time frame and comes to an end sooner than is expected, especially when God is involved.
In the two elders, we see how wicked people can be because of their selfish interests and their lust. Their desire for the flesh of another’s wife, led them into planning evil that will have led to the shedding of the blood of an upright woman. The word of God made it clear that they have been doing it with other women and non had the courage to resist them like Susanna did, this was because their end had come. They had the opportunity to stop their evil practices, but they refused and met their end. The Lord is speaking to you today, that thing that you are doing, and you are not proud of, kindly make effort during this season of Lent to stop it, never take the mercy and love of God for granted like both elders did. The most important thing is our sincere desire for conversion, and the grace of God will give us the support that we need.
It is also important to point out the fact that it is better to obey God and disobey men, instead of obeying men and disobeying God. This is exactly the path the Susanna took in the 1st reading of today. We all are also encouraged to emulate her action in our personal lives. When it mattered most, from no where, God raised a Daniel to expose the elders and prove the innocence of Susanna. God will always raise people who will speak for those who have faith in him. May the Lord grant us the faith we need to always face the challenges of life, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.