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José María Rubio y Peralta was born on 22 July, 1864 in Dalías, Spain. His parents were farmers and he was one of 12 children, six of whom died at a young age. In 1875, he began his secondary schooling in Almeria.

As he felt called to the priesthood, he transferred to the diocesan minor seminary in 1876 to continue his studies. In 1878, he moved to the major seminary of Granada, where he completed studies in philosophy, theology and canon law. On 24 September, 1887 he was ordained a priest.

At this time, he also felt called to join the Society of Jesus, but because he was taking care of an elderly priest who needed to be looked after, he was not able to fulfil this wish for 19 years.

In the years following his ordination, José María was busy as a curate in Chinchón and then as parish priest in Estremera. In 1890, the bishop called him to Madrid, where he was given the responsibility of synodal examiner. He also taught metaphysics, Latin, and pastoral theology at the seminary in Madrid, and was chaplain to the Sisters of St Bernard.

In 1905, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and, the following year, entered the Jesuit novitiate in Granada. On 12 October, 1908 he made his first vows as a Jesuit.

José María was an outstanding pastor and nurtured by a deep spiritual life. The Bishop of Madrid called him “The Apostle of Madrid”. He was the city’s favourite confessor, spending long hours each day giving direction. He was known for his incisive, simple preaching that moved many to conversion. He also had particular devotion to the poor, always providing them with the material and spiritual assistance they needed. Through his preaching and spiritual direction, José María was also able to attract and guide many lay people who wanted to live a more authentic Christian life and to help him in his mission of helping the poor. Under his guidance, they opened tuition-free schools which offered academic formation as well as instruction in various trades. They also assisted the sick and disabled and tried to find work for the unemployed.

Although José María was the inspiration for all these works, he remained in the background, preferring to let his helpers take centre stage. He gave them the main responsibility and taught them to live and act like true apostles of the Lord.

José María also organised popular missions and spiritual exercises in the poorest areas of the city. He believed that the poor should be helped in all their needs – both spiritual and material, and that they were to be encouraged and loved in a way that fully respected their human dignity.

The most important aspect of the apostolate for José María was prayer. Adoration of the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was the centre of his entire life. And it was the love of Christ that José María wanted to share with the poor. For him and his helpers, prayer came first, and it was through their prayer life that they received the strength to serve in the poorest and most abandoned areas of Madrid.

Fr José María Rubio died on 2 May, 1929 in Aranjuez. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 6 October, 1985 and canonised on 4 May, 2003.

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Saint John Ogilvie – Commentary on Isaiah 50:5-9; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; John 12:24-26 Read Saint John Ogilvie – Readings »

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 St John Ogilvie SJ, Priest and Martyr Read Saint John Ogilvie »

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Commentary on Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38

In the entrance antiphon for today’s Mass, we say:

Behold! I have come to do your will, O God!

In a way, today’s feast should be on a par with Christmas. From one point of view, it is a greater occasion than Christmas. The Child would not have been born if he had not first been conceived. However, even today, when an actual moment of conception is not known with accuracy, it is the visible experience of the birth—the coming into the outside world—which makes much greater impact. We all celebrate our birth-day but not our conception-day, even though the latter is the moment when we came into being.

Together with the Trinity, an acceptance of the Incarnation is one of the pedestals which defines our Christian faith. It was at the Annunciation that the Incarnation began to become a reality. It was at this moment that:

…the Word became flesh and lived among us… (John 1:14)

Today should be a special day of praise and thanksgiving for all of us.

This event, in many ways—even for those who do not believe in the Christian message—is one of the major turning points, if not the major turning point, in the history of our planet. It was not only Christians who celebrated our entry into the Third Millennium, even though non-believers either denied, or ignored, or were ignorant of the conception and birth of Jesus which established the occasion.

The Gospel account of this momentous event, in one sense, owes a great deal to the imagery and prophecies of the Hebrew Testament, as well as having a charming simplicity which belies the awesomeness of the occasion. It takes place in the home of a young girl, in an obscure town looked down on by many. As Nathanael asked:

Can anything good come from Nazareth? (John 1:46)

This is surely one of the most ironic questions ever asked!

It is seen as the fulfilment of a prophecy which is found in Isaiah, and which forms the First Reading for today. King Ahaz is offered a sign by God, which he refuses. God gives him one anyway. This sign will be the birth of a child whose name will be Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’. Even though Isaiah primarily seems to be speaking of a son for King Ahaz, the solemn name given to the child seems to indicate something more significant, a decisive intervention by God and the sending of a Messiah. So the text has been traditionally taken in the Church as a prophecy for the birth of Christ.

The particular words of the prophecy are clearly linked with the Annunciation event:

…the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

The Greek translation of the Hebrew Testament, known as the Septuagint, reads ‘virgin’, whereas in the Hebrew original, almah can mean a young girl or a recently married woman. The Gospel has adopted the Septuagint meaning and sees in this text a prophecy of the virginal conception of Jesus, which is affirmed in today’s Gospel reading. The Gospel scene is also reminiscent of the announcement by God’s angel of the birth of Samson (see Judges chap 13).

Mary, we are told, is already betrothed to a man called Joseph. This means that she is committed to be his wife, but they have not come together or had intimate relations. She is still, as the Gospel states, a virgin.

God’s emissary, the angel Gabriel, enters the house and greets her in words that alarm the young girl:

Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.

The traditional greeting is “Hail, full of grace!”, but the Greek chaire implies joy, the joy that the coming of the Messiah brings. And ‘grace’ (charis) is the gratuitous love of God extended to, and experienced by, the receiver. Mary was:

…much perplexed by [the angel’s] words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

But the angel goes on to reassure Mary, although in language that must have mystified her even more. Basically, she is being told that she is going to be the mother of a son, whom she is to call Jesus, which means ‘Yahweh saves’. But this is no ordinary son. The angel describes him in extraordinary language which, in fact, recalls many passages from the Hebrew Testament referring to the Messiah:

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…

This is a title which can mean the ‘divine Son of God’, or the Messiah. That her Son is to be the Messiah is indicated by the angel’s saying that:

…the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Mary is even more puzzled and disturbed. How can she conceive a son when she is a virgin and has not yet had intimate relations with her husband-to-be? She clearly understands that the conception is to take place very soon.

The angel replies by explaining that:

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

The shadow or cloud is the creative and protective presence of the Lord. The conceiving of this child is clearly to be the direct work of the Holy Spirit. The Father is God himself and the child is the divine Son of God, who, while remaining God, will “be made flesh”. From the moment of conception the child is fully God and fully a human person. And the child is called “holy” because, though like us in all things, there was no taint of sin in him (how could or why would God sin against himself!).

It is doubtful if, even after these explanations, Mary really understood the implications of what she had been told. But she recognised the messenger as coming from God and, in deep faith and trust, accepted what she was being asked to do and be:

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.

This is Mary’s fiat (‘let it be’, from the Latin version of her words) by which she said an unconditional ‘Yes’ to what God had asked of her.

Later on, when Mary is praised by a woman in a crowd for having produced such a wonderful son as Jesus, Jesus had replied,

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it! (Luke 11:28)

And here is Mary’s true greatness, not so much that she was chosen to be the Mother of God, but that she responded with such generosity. And, right up to the very end, she stood by her Son.

In that she resembles Jesus himself, whose relationship to his Father is described in the Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. The passage speaks of the ineffectiveness of offerings of animals for bringing reconciliation with God. It is the offering by Jesus of his own self totally to his Father which alone is effective. Jesus says:

See, I have come to do your will, O God.

This was the essence of Jesus’ life. There was a struggle at the end as the horrors of the Passion drew near. But, after prayer made in blood and sweat, he surrendered totally:

…not my will but yours be done. (Luke 22:42)

And his last words on the cross were, “It is finished.” He had emptied himself totally and given all to the Father. In this is our salvation.

Mary, too, said that ‘Yes’ in the little house in Nazareth. It was, as was said above, a pivotal moment in the world’s history. Things would never be the same again. Let us thank Mary today for her unconditional ‘Yes’ and let us ask her to help us to say our ‘Yes’ to God, today and for the rest of our lives.

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Commentary on John 5:17-30

Today’s Gospel follows immediately on yesterday’s story of the healing of the man who was unable to walk by the pool at the Sheep Gate. That passage had ended with the words:

Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the Sabbath. (John 5:16)

We might point out, as with some other Sabbath healings, that there was absolutely no urgency to do the healing on a Sabbath for someone who had waited 38 years. It is just another indication of the divine authority with which Jesus works.

Jesus’ reply is direct and unapologetic:

My Father is still working, and I also am working.

Because Genesis speaks of God resting on the seventh day (the origin of the Jewish Sabbath), it was disputed whether God was in any way active on the Sabbath. Some believed that the creating and conserving work of his creation went on, and others believe that he continued to pass judgement on that day. In any case, Jesus is claiming here the same authority to work on the Sabbath as his Father and has the same powers over life and death.

The Jewish leaders are enraged that Jesus speaks of God as his own Father, and they want to kill him. They understand by his words that Jesus is making himself God’s equal. Jesus, far from denying the accusation, only confirms it.

Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own but only what he sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.

This saying is taken from the model of an apprentice in a trade. The apprentice son does exactly what his father does. Jesus’ relation to his Father is similar:

The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.

And, we might add, whenever he wishes. Such giving of life is something that belongs only to God—as does the right to judge, which Jesus says has been delegated to him.

Jesus is the perfect mirror of the Father. The Father is acting in him and through him. He is the Word of God—God speaks and acts directly through him. God’s Word is a creative Word. Jesus, like the Father, is life-giving, a source of life.

The right to judge has been delegated by the Father to the Son. And to refuse to honour the Son is to refuse the same honour to the Father. In everything, Jesus acts only according to the will of his Father and does what his Father wants.

Jesus, then, is the Way—the Way through whom we go to God. For us, there is no other Way. He is God’s Word to us and for us.

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(Note: There is no daily Mass on Holy Saturday itself. This commentary is for the evening Easter Vigil Mass readings.)

Commentary on Genesis 1:1—2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15—15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15,32—4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17,18-28; Romans 6:3-11 and either Matthew 28:1-10 (Year A); Mark 16:8 (Year B) or Luke 24: 1-12 (Year C)

Tonight’s Vigil Mass is a celebration of life. We begin with the story of creation:

• God made everything and gave life to all living things.
• God saw all that he had made and it was very good.
• His creation and conservation continues.

We are partners in that work—stewards to take care of all that makes up this planet, especially all living things. Made in the image of our Creator, we too are called to be life givers and life preservers.

The gift of creation was followed by the failure of human beings to obey God, with subsequent disasters being visited on the human race ever since.

We next hear the story of the Exodus—the great event in which God’s people are brought out of the half-life of slavery into full freedom and full life. We need no longer be slaves. We are God’s own people, and yet many of us remain enslaved to worldly habits and desires.

The liberation from Egypt is an event celebrated and commemorated to this day by the Jewish people at their Passover. And we can join our celebration with theirs at this time. In fact, it is no mere coincidence that the events we celebrate this week mirror the feast of the Passover or Pasch. Through Jesus, the Lamb of God, we have been given the opportunity to pass from the slavery of sin and all the destructive elements of our life to a life of freedom.

As the crucified Jesus breaks through the bonds of death in glorious resurrection, he opens the gates of life for us too. He says:

I am the resurrection and the life…and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25)

and

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
(John 10:10)

and

I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

This evening is the special time for catechumens to be baptised and become full members of our community in Christ. It is a time of special joy for them, and for us. It is also a time for us to reflect on the meaning and the effectiveness of our own baptism in our lives right now.

Our baptism and confirmation, and our sharing in the Eucharist, are the signs of our participation in this outpouring of life and love which we celebrate this evening. Baptism, the going down into the water, is our dying to the ways of sin and evil. The coming out of the water is a rising to the life God wishes us to have and experience. Our baptism and confirmation are an ongoing reality reflected in the way we live out the Gospel from day to day.

Very soon we will renew our promises, pledging anew our allegiance to Christ and the Christian community, which is his visible presence in the world. Let this night be a time for all of us, individually and together, to revitalise our Catholic life and to involve ourselves more in the life of our parish community.

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Commentary on Exodus 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Today’s Scripture readings cover the whole sweep of what today’s feast means. The First Reading is a description of the Jewish Passover Meal. It is a sacramental re-enactment of the meal taken by the Israelites before their flight across the Red Sea from Egypt—a flight from slavery to freedom and liberation.

This annual commemoration could be called the ‘Eucharist’ of the Jews—except that they celebrate it just once a year, and not weekly or even daily, as we do. It is a sacred remembering of God’s great act to liberate them from slavery, and it is the beginning of their long journey to the Promised Land. It is no coincidence that it was precisely during the celebration of this meal that Jesus instituted what we now call the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This is the link between the Hebrew and Christian Covenants.

In the Second Reading, Paul recalls what Jesus did during that Last Supper—that Passover Meal:

Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

These actions were to be repeated by his followers in memory of the liberation brought about for us through his suffering, death and resurrection.

Three events are thus united into a new mystery:

There is a new liberation, not just from physical slavery, but from every kind of slavery, especially that of sin and evil. There is now a new Pasch and a new Passover. There is a new Lamb—the Lamb of God. There is a new unleavened bread—the Bread that is the Body of the Risen Lord. The blood of the lamb is now replaced with the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, who takes away the sin of the world.

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Commentary on John 12:1-11

Today’s Gospel serves as a lovely prelude to the Passion of Jesus. Jesus is back in the house of his friends, Mary, Martha and of course, Lazarus—so recently brought back from the dead. Perhaps these are Jesus’ last moments of companionship before the horrors that are to come.

True to character, Martha is the active hostess. Mary, the contemplative, brings in a jar of an expensive perfumed unguent and pours it all over the feet of Jesus, filling the house with its fragrance. It is a sign of great love and echoes what the ‘sinful’ woman in Luke’s Gospel also did. This account is probably the same as that described in Mark (14:3-9) and Matthew (26:6-13), but is distinct from the story of the woman in Luke (7:36-50).

As opposed to the “Beloved Disciple” in John’s Gospel (a nameless character), Judas, on the other hand, is a spiritually blind materialist, and sees what he regards as terrible waste. Hypocritically, he suggests the money would have been better spent helping the poor. John implicates Judas as “a thief”, more interested in getting the money for himself than sharing it with those in need.

Jesus sees an altogether different meaning in Mary’s action. He sees the tremendous love behind the action, and interprets it as a symbolical anointing for his burial. Dying as a common criminal, Jesus would normally not have been anointed (and, in fact, he was not anointed after his burial; when the women went to do the act on Sunday morning, Jesus was already risen). Jesus says in response:

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.

This is not to be understood in any cynical way. The poor cannot be truly loved except in God and in Jesus:

Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me. (Matt 25:40)

Only those who truly love God (by whatever name they call him) are able truly to love the poor and all those in need—and vice versa. Also, in Jewish tradition, there was disagreement as to whether giving alms to the poor or burying the dead (which would include anointing) was the greater act of mercy. Those in favour of burial thought it an essential condition for sharing in the final resurrection.

Finally, we are told Lazarus’ own life was in danger as well as Jesus’. Lazarus is seen as the living sign of Jesus’ divine power, and so they both must be wiped out. Many of the Church’s martyrs died for the same reason. The word martyr means ‘witness’, witnessing to the truth, love and power of Christ.

Am I willing to be a martyr-witness for Christ, to stand beside him on the cross as he is mocked and insulted? This is the week for me to find the answer to that question.

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The origins of Patrick are not clear, and facts are difficult to separate from legend. He is said to have been born at Banna Venta Berniae, somewhere in Roman Britain in the second half of the 4th century, perhaps around 385 AD. It is also claimed he was born in Kilpatrick (meaning ‘Patrick’s church’) in Scotland.

His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans and part of the colonial administration. Calpurnius, his father is also said to have been a deacon and his grandfather Potitus a priest (in the days before clerical celibacy).

As a boy of 16 or so, Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave to tend sheep. During this time, he learned the language and practices of the people who held him.

He writes in his Confessio (‘Confessions’) that his faith grew during this period and that he prayed daily.

The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith…so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same.

And again:

I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.

Patrick’s captivity lasted for six years (until he was 20). He then escaped after hearing a voice in which he was told that a boat was waiting to bring him home. After a trek of nearly 300 km, he found some sailors who took him back to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.

Patrick tells of a vision he had a few years after returning home:

I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: “The Voice of the Irish”. As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea—and they cried out, as with one voice: “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us”.

He then began his studies for the priesthood and was ordained by St Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, under whom he had studied for several years. Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland on 25 March, 433, at Slane in County Meath. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted the chieftain after the man was unable to move his sword arm until he changed his hostile attitude towards Patrick.

His Confessio tell us something of Patrick’s missionary work. He says that he baptised “thousands of people” and ordained priests for new Christian communities. Wealthy women were converted, some of whom became nuns despite family opposition. Even some princes were converted, and this was important. By converting the ruling classes, the rest of the people would be likely to follow.

However, his position as a foreigner was not easy. His refusal to accept gifts from kings alienated him from the local culture. Legally, he had no protection, and he mentions that he was once beaten, robbed of his possessions and put in chains, perhaps with a view to execution. This may have been a reaction to the critical letter he wrote to the “soldiers of Coroticus”.

Patrick is said to have preached and converted all of Ireland over a period of 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in his Confessio. After years of living in poverty, travelling and enduring much suffering, he died on 17 March, 461, at Saul, in northern Ireland, where he had built the first church. However, some scholars would now put his death as late as 493. St Patrick is said to be buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, alongside St Brigid and St Columba, although this has never been proven.

By the 8th century, he had become the patron saint of Ireland. In general, it is difficult to establish firmly the dates of his life and work, except that he seemed to have worked in Ireland in the second half of the 5th century. We have two of his own letters and some biographies dating from two centuries later. The two Letters, written in Latin, are his Confessio and Letters to the Soldiers of Coroticus. In the Confessio, Patrick gives a short account of his life and mission.

The believed date of his death became a feast day in the Universal Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding, who was a member of the commission for the reform of the Breviary in the early part of the 17th century.

Like most early saints, Patrick was never formally canonised by a pope and became a saint by popular acclamation. Due to extensive Irish emigration over the centuries, the name of Patrick has been brought all over the world.

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Commentary on Daniel 3:25,34-43

As described in the Vatican II Sunday Missal, today’s reading from Daniel is:

“…one of the most beautiful and sincere prayers in the Bible. Expressing the abandonment of 2nd century BC Judaism, this prayer pleads that the contrite heart and humble spirit of the people be accepted by God. This prayer is quoted in the offertory of every Mass.”

The context of the passage is a famous scene from the Book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had set up a huge golden statue in Babylon. All the officials were then summoned together for its dedication. At the sound of many musical instruments, all were called to prostrate themselves in worship of the statue. Anyone who refused would immediately be thrown into a mighty furnace.

It was reported to the king that some of his officials who were Jews had ignored his command. These were Shadrach, Meschach and Azariah (the Hebrew name for Abed-Nego). They were immediately summoned before the king and asked to account for themselves. When asked why they had not prostrated themselves before the statue, they said:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.
(Dan 3:16-18)

This reply enraged the king to such an extent that he ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter. The three men were then thrown fully clothed into the furnace. It was so hot that the men throwing the three young men into the furnace were themselves burnt to death.

However, the three men were seen walking in the flames and they began praying aloud. Today’s passage is a part of their long prayer, led by Azariah, (see Dan 3:24-90*) of praise and thanksgiving, while the king’s servants continued to stoke the fire.

The king watched in amazement and said:

Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?…But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt… (Dan 3:92-93)

Clearly, the fourth figure 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 not even singed—and had the highest honours showered on them as a tribute to their God:

Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. (Dan 3:95)

It is in this context that we read today’s passage. Azariah’s prayer begins with a plea for God not to abandon his people, nor to forget the covenant he promised so many descendants of Abraham. In faraway Babylon, separated by hundreds of miles from their religious centre in Jerusalem, there is a recognition that they are despised, abandoned and leaderless, and without their traditional religious rituals of worship:

…we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.

However, they pray that, even without holocausts of rams and bullocks, they can commit themselves completely to their God:

And now with all our heart we follow you;
we fear you and seek your presence.

They beg to be treated with mercy and gentleness. They at least hope that a truly repentant heart will win God’s forgiveness, and they put themselves totally at the feet of God’s mercy and compassion.

In fact, it is not necessary to do things ‘to win God’s favour’. Once we put ourselves completely in his hands, he will take care of us as he did with the three young men.

______________________________________________________
*Note: These verses from the Song of the Three Men in the Fiery Furnace are found only in the Greek text of the Old Testament, not the Hebrew text. Hence, they are not quoted in most non-Catholic Bibles. Although we only have the Greek text, it is believed that the original was in Aramaic or Hebrew, and hence is included in Catholic Bibles.