Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

 
During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“Three in the Furnace”
by Toros Roslin, Mashtots, 1266

Readings for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
 
King Nebuchadnezzar said:
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.”
 
King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace.
 
Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dn3:14-20, 91-92, 95
 
The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (whose Hebrew names are Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, see Daniel 1: 6-7) is recounted in this selection. The three companions of the book’s hero, Daniel, are commanded to violate Mosaic Law by worshiping a graven image. In their love for God, they reject this command and are condemned to be burned alive. Rather than perishing in the fire King Nebuchadnezzar had prepared for them, God sends an angel to intervene, the companions are saved, and the king is converted.
 
This passage, popular during the persecutions of both the Jews in their exile and the Christians, served as a sign of the promise of salvation for the faithful, proof that God would not abandon them in their need.
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
 
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
 
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
 
“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
 
“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
 
“Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
 
“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
 
The Responsorial Psalm is a song of praise to God taken from the Book of Daniel.  This selection is the hymn chanted by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they stood in the white-hot furnace. (Note: in Daniel 1:7 Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.) This section is part of one of the litanies contained in the hymn. In this instance, it is a doxology. “In general, this word means a short verse praising God and beginning, as a rule, with the Greek word Doxa.” [4]
 
The three heroes were being punished by King Nebuchadnezzar for not worshiping a golden idol he had set up.  An angel of God came to them in their plight and kept them from harm, even though the furnace was so hot it burned those who tended it.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 8:31-42
 
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”
 
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 8:31-42
 
In this passage from St. John’s Gospel, Jesus continues his discourse with the Jews “who believed in him.” This statement is ironic, since just a few verses later (v. 37) he says: “But you are trying to kill me.” The Lord offers these new believers freedom through the truth that is Jesus, the Son of God. 
 
The response "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone." is very odd since the Hebrew enslavement by the Egyptians and their subsequent exodus, led by Moses, defines them as God's people. [5] Jesus moves the discourse to a higher level. The point made here is that all are enslaved by sin and only Jesus, who is sent by the Father, can release us from that slavery. As much as the Jews argue that they have come from Abraham, Jesus pushes back and says if you came from Abraham, your actions would make that clear; if you believe in God that also would be clear – something different must therefore be true.
 
CCC: Jn 8:31-32 89; Jn 8:32 1741, 2466; Jn 8:33-36 588; Jn 8:34-36 549, 601, 613
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
We are given two contrasting pictures of humanity in today’s Scripture, and we see God’s response clearly. In the first reading we find Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego confronted with a horrible death by being burned alive in a furnace if they do not become apostate, reject their God, and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol.
 
The three companions of Daniel remain faithful, and even though the men who cast them into the furnace are killed by the heat in the act of throwing them into the flames, they are unharmed. Not just unharmed: Scripture tells us they are walking around on the white-hot coals, in the company of a fourth who is apparently an angel (“the fourth looks like a son of God”). Their reward for faithfulness was salvation by divine intervention.
 
We then shift to Jesus, still embroiled in the discussion started earlier in St. John’s Gospel. It says he is speaking to Jews who believe in him, but we note that later in the passage, on a couple of different occasions, the Lord mentions they are trying to kill him – not something the “Jews who believe in him” would be doing.
 
St. John’s Gospel is full of ironic statements, and there are a couple of good ones in this passage. But rather than getting focused on the language, let’s look at the message. The example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being saved because they were faithful in the face of death is taken to a new level in Christ who, being one with the Father, asks for that same level of faithfulness in order to save us from an even worse fate.
 
When we take this message in the context of our Lenten journey, we see that Scripture calls us to refine and sharpen our sense of who we are in Christ Jesus. He calls to us and tells us by example that if we believe in him, our actions will demonstrate our faith. If we are truly people who believe in him, others will see us and how we love one another, and they will know of our belief in the Only Begotten Son of God.
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
 

---

[1] The picture is “Three in the Furnace” Toros Roslin, Mashtots, 1266.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent
[5] The Gospel of John, Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV © 2015, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, pp. 160-61.