FRIDAY DECEMBER 1, 2023
FRIDAY OF THE THIRTY FOURTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME A
Daniel 7:2-14
Luke 21:29-33
WORKING FOR THE REIGN OF OUR GOD AND HIS KINGDOM
The ultimate aim of man and that which we pray at all times especially in the Lord’s Prayer and also wish in life is the reign of our God. May his kingdom come as it is in heaven. This is the wish, the prayers and the ultimate aim that we call for in prayers.
On these last days of the liturgical year of the Church, we are urged to work for the reign of God and to live it out also in our lives. The book of Daniel, our first reading narrates how all sovereignties will submit to the authority and powers of our God. Such imageries as presented by Daniel is to portray the everlasting and supreme place of God in human history.
That kingdoms will arise, flourish and then fade away. But at the end, God will reign supreme and his words will never pass away. That no matter the kingdoms on earth, no matter the power they possess, no matter how big and powerful they may be presently, no matter the enormity of their strength and force presently, they will one day submit and fade away and will be no more. Their reign will come to an end and they will fizzle out in time.
It shows that every kingdom good or bad are but for a time. And when the ruler of the world rises all kingdoms will die off and the world will be taken over by the God who created all things.
Jesus in the gospel goes ahead to predict same thing, that heaven and earth will pass away. That kingdoms will pass away, that all things will pass away but the word of God, the reign of God and the powers of our God will never pass away.
For those who cling to him, to our God, they will reign for ever and will rule forever and ever. It therefore portends that we must anticipate the reign of our God and cling to him, work for him and live for him. Our lives are already rooted in God our created who made us and sent us into this world. Our lives can only have its root in him because we belong to him. Let us strengthen our rootedness in him, forge our belongingness to him and try at all times to work for the reign of our God with our good lives and steady faith.
Heavenly Father, we belong to you and we are ever ready to work for your reign and live in your kingdom. Preserve our lives, bless us and keep us in your love. May we always work and live for your reign and extend your kingdom, build it up by our lives and make you reign in our lives by the good life we struggle to live. May this new month of December be a blessed month for us all through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
