If you have a typical Protestant bible (such as KJV, NIV) copy, you will never find today’s First Reading text (Daniel 3:25, 34-43), because Daniel 3 only contain 30 verses in such bible copies. If you have NRSV bible copy, however, you can find Daniel 3:24-90 in the Catholic Bible (NAB(RV)) in the section of “the Additions to Daniel 3”, which has 68 verses. This set of 68-verse additional text to the Book of Daniel, is considered as a part of the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical Books, as it was added to the original Hebrew-Aramaic text of the Book of Daniel when this original Book of Daniel was translated into Greek, known as the Septuagint (LXX).
The 68-verse text of the Addition to Daniel 3 is
inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24 of the original Hebrew-Aramaic text as
Daniel 3:24-90 in the Catholic Bible (NAB(RV)). The Addition to Daniel 3 is
composed of the Prayer of Azariah (vv. 1-22), the Song of the Three Jews (vv.28-68),
with vv.23-27 as a brief explanatory prose to connect the Prayer of Azariah and
the Song of the Three Jews.
Thus, in the Catholic Bible, what is Daniel 3:24 is in
the Hebrew-Aramaic original book is Daniel 3:91 in the Catholic Bible.
The Prayer of Azariah (vv.1-22) in found in Daniel
3:24-45 in the Catholic Bible, and today’s First Reading (Daniel 3:25, 34-43)
is drawn from this.
So, what is the First Reading is about – an excerpt
from Azariah’s Prayer? Who is Azariah?
To understand the First Reading today, we must know
some background context to the reading, and the Prayer of Azariah, as well.
And, for this, we need to read at least Daniel 3:1-22.
Upon the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in
587-586BC, many Jews were captured and taken to Babylon. For 70 years, they
were in the Babylonian exile. The Book of Daniel addresses history and eschatological
prophesy of this exilic period. The Jews were under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar,
the Babylonian king, who sieged Jerusalem. As described in Daniel 3:1-22, three
Jewish faithful young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, in Babylonian names)(Daniel 1:4, 6-7) were thrown into the
burning furnace, ordered by Nebuchadnezzar, as they refused to bow down to and
worship the gold statue of this Babylonian king. Thus, the fire (Daniel 3:25 /v.2)
refers to the fire of Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace to incinerate Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, for refusing to bow down
to and to worship the golden statue of this Babylonian king (Daniel 3:1-23).
They protested to the king’s order to bow down to and worship his golden statue
to faithfully observe God’s commandments in Exodus 20:3-5a.
The Prayer of Azariah (Abednego) (Daniel 3:24-45) begins
with an acknowledgement of God’s greatness, glory, and justice (vv.26-28a),
followed by acknowledgement of sins, which contributed to having losing
Jerusalem (vv. 28b-33). And, Azariah began his prayer of petition for God’s
merciful care, invoking His covenant with Abraham (v.34/v.11; cf. Genesis 15:1-21;
17:1-27).
It is important to note that Azariah’s prayer is not
simply begging God’s protection in the burning furnace. With contrite heart, on
behalf of sinful Jews, Azariah was asking God for His mercy and treat them as
He had done so with Abraham in the covenant (Daniel 3:34-45).
So, Azariah said:
Now
we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we seek your face. Do not
put us to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us
in accord with your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord
(Daniel 3:41-43).
Acknowledging God’s greatness, power, glory, and justice with humility, Azariah also recognized and lamented all the sins that Jews had committed, resulting in losing Jerusalem and being in exile, with contrite heart. Then, his prayer expressed the willingness for metanoia and for seeking God and His mercy.
Seeking mercy of God: This is a point of today’s
readings.
So, we sing: Remember
your mercies, O Lord (Psalm 25:6a) for the refrain of the Responsorial
Psalm (25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9).
A theme of seeking God’s mercy is also reflected in
today’s Gospel Reading (Matthew18:21-35), which is known as the Parable of the
Unforgiving Servant. And, this parable to address mercy is about forgiveness.
And it all started with Peter’s question:
Lord,
if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven
times? (Matthew 18:21)
And, Jesus answered:
I
say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of
heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his
servants (Matthew 18:22-23).
In response to Peter’s question about forgiveness,
Jesus gave his straight answer to teach that we should not quantify mercy,
including forgiveness. Quantification may put a limitation. Jesus teaches
against limitation, thus, against quantifying mercy.
Imagine if God had quantified and put a limit to His
mercy on us. Ever since Adam and Eve, the quantity or the counts of our sins
have surpassed the limit of God’s mercy and forgiveness. It means that we would
have already condemned.
In reality, we are not condemned. So, despite countless sins we have committed,
God’s mercy still overpowers and thus allows us to live today. The fact that He
had the Logos-Theos be incarnated in
the flesh of Jesus in order to save us by lifting his body up on the Cross and
again out of his tomb on the third day is the most powerful testimony to this
truth.
In the Hebrew mentality, seven represents the
perfection, as it is the total number of six days of the work of the Creation and
one day of Sabbath. Thus, not just seven times but as many times as necessary,
without putting a cap, to exercise mercy to forgive – beyond “perfect”. This way, we can strive to be truly merciful
as God the Father is (Luke 6:36).
Prompted by Peter’s question about forgiveness,
Jesus gives this parable on the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:24-35).
This servant must have had a snowball effect of his
debt to his master, as it had gotten far beyond his abilities to pay back.
Recognizing this, the master decided to sell him, together with his family,
while liquidating what he had. This decision of his mater was too painful for
him to accept. So, he begged the master for mercy. So, the master responded to
his servant’s plea for mercy with compassion and forgave his debt. And, Jesus
wanted to remind that this is how God’s mercy works.
Then, in the latter part of this parable, Jesus says
that this forgiven servant refused to forgive his fellow servant, who has a
debt to him, even though this fellow asked for his mercy.
Having learned that the servant, whom he forgave out
of compassion and mercy, had refused to forgive his fellow servant, who owed
the forgiven servant, the master became angry and rebuked:
You
wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should
you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?
(Matthew 18:32-33)
Jesus concludes the parable that we cannot attain
God’s mercy and be forgiven unless we are merciful to each other and able to
forgive without a limit or any calculation.
Remember, Azariah’s prayer, which acknowledges God’s
greatness first, evoking His love-kindness that resulted in his covenant with
Abraham, then, expressed sincere contrition, before asking mercy and vowing to
seek Him first.
If we pray as Azariah did for God’s mercy, we are
humble enough to forgive others without a limit, because humility enables us to
be merciful and forgiving as God is.
As we are now in the latter part of this Lenten
journey, let us work on our humility so that we are not simply asking God’s
mercy and forgiveness to our sin-debt but asking God to help us become merciful
and forgiving as God is so. And, God delivers us to a right and just merit. However,
as Jesus warns in the conclusion of the parable, we do not deserve God’s mercy
and forgiveness unless we replicate these to one another.
What we receive from God, including mercy and
forgiveness, should not stop in us and kept in us but to be given to others –
just as we love one another, as Christ the Son has loved us (John 13:34).
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