Today’s Readings – Wednesday of Week 34 of Ordinary Time - First Reading

Commentary on Daniel 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28

If yesterday’s reading was about ‘feet of clay’, today’s is about ‘the writing on the wall’. Our Bible is full of phrases that have passed into our daily language and are familiar even to those who have never opened the book.

The setting for today’s reading is a great banquet thrown by King Belshazzar for his nobles, a thousand of them altogether. In the Babylonian language the king’s name would be Bel-shar-usur, meaning ‘May-Bel-protect-the-king’. Although further on in the account he is called the son of Nebuchadnezzar, he is in fact known to be the son of Nabonidus, who gave him the title of king. ‘Son’ could mean ‘descendant’ or even ‘successor’. Actually, we know that several kings of Babylon intervened … Continue

Yesterday’s Readings – Tuesday of Week 34 of Ordinary Time - First Reading

Commentary on Daniel 2:31-45

Daniel, we saw in yesterday’s reading, had been blessed with a divine gift for interpreting dreams. King Nebuchadnezzar has had a series of dreams but he cannot remember their contents which greatly disturbed him. He calls in all his wise men and astro … Continue