If the words from our first reading from the Book of Daniel sounded familiar to you, you were correct. In fact, they are part of the prayer we hear during the Offertory of the Mass that expresses our desire for a ‘contrite heart and humble spirit’. This whole prayer is one of the most beautiful prayers of the Bible.
The context of today’s reading is the famous story of King Nebuchadnezzar setting up a huge golden statue in Babylon. All the officials were then summoned together for its dedication and called to prostrate themselves in worship of the statue. Anyone who refused would immediately be thrown into a mighty furnace.
Shadrach, Meschach and Azariah, who were three Hebrew nobles exiled in Babylon, ignored this command. They spoke boldly and bravely before the King saying: “that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have set up.”
This reply enraged the king, and he ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter. The three men were then thrown into the furnace. However, the men were then seen walking in the flames and praying aloud. Today’s passage is a part of their long prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
The king watched in amazement. The fourth figure that appeared was an angel of the Lord sent to protect these faithful servants of Yahweh. The king finally ordered the men to be taken from the fire. Their clothes were not even singed. The King then had the highest honors showered on them as a tribute to their God: “There is no other god who can save like this,” he said.
During this time of Lent, we, like these 3 brave men, pray most especially that we can commit ourselves to God wholeheartedly and receive God’s mercy. We pray with repentant hearts, asking for God’s forgiveness and compassion. And, also like the three brave men in the fire, we ask that we can always trust God in our lives.
A wonderful way to think about God’s generous mercy to us, and the compassion God always initiates, is to make a daily, personal act of contrition. We can say the one we memorized as kids or make one up ourselves. Either way, our sincerity in saying it can help us appreciate God’s mercy to us, and help us when we find ourselves needing mercy, or extending mercy to someone in our life.
May we leave here today not only grateful to God for God’s mercy to us, but with a contrite heart and humble spirit.
