reminding God to be merciful - 3rd week lent tuesday 2015

Again we focus our attention to our first reading from the book of Daniel.  This hymn of thanksgiving to God’s mercy is part of the hymn sung by the three young men who were put in the fiery furnace by the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar during Israel’s exile because they violated the decree of the king to worship an idol.  The three young men were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah – these are their Hebrew names.  They are called by Nebuchadnezzar by their Chaldean name Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  For not worshiping the idol but the one and true God, they were condemned to be placed in a fiery furnace.  The furnace was so hot that even the soldiers who pushed them inside were themselves burnt.  But the three young men were however protected by an angel sent by God so that the fire could not burn even a single hair on their skin.  Because of this they sung this hymn in praise of thanksgiving for God’s mercy as fire engulfed them yet remaining unharmed.

In this prayer the three young men reminded God of the promise he made first to Abraham, then to Abraham’s son Isaac and then to Isaac’s son Jacob who was later given the name Israel.  It is to these three patriarchs that God’s promise was made and it is in the strength of this promise that the three young men invoked God’s mercy. 

Lord, be merciful.  Why should I be merciful?  Because you made a promise. 

Lord, be merciful.  Why should I be merciful?  Because of what you did to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Sometimes people ask, why do you pray the rosary?  Why do you go daily for mass?  Because there is no other powerful prayer than the prayer that would remind God what he already did for us.

In the rosary we remind God about the joyful mysteries, we remind him of the luminous mysteries, we remind him of the sorrowful mysteries, and we remind him of the glorious mysteries.  We tell God – ka daku na sang investment mo, nagpakatawo na si Jesus para sa amon, napatay na sia para sa amon, nabanhaw sia para sa amon tapos bayaan mo lang kami.  You have already invested so much on us, so do not forsake us. 

In the mass we remind God of the cross of Jesus, the body he wasted for us and the blood he shed for us, we remind him kon ano ang pangabudlay ni Jesus agod kita maluwas.  God you have already invested so much on us – you have to be merciful to us.

I remember a mother’s plea when his older son remonstrated with her for treating the younger son lightly every time makasala ang manghod.  Na amo na kay wala mo ginpadudla ang imo anak.  The mother answered her older son.  Ok lang sa imo kay utod mo lang sia.  Ako ya bata ko na sia.  You are just the brother but I am the mother.  I was the one who gave birth to him, I risked my life for him, I have to shed blood for him. You are just the brother but I am the mother.  Ti ma ano ka da?

But this is my point why this prayer of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah is a beautiful prayer – just like the mass, just like the rosary.  We remind God why he should be merciful – God should be merciful because he has already invested so much for us.  This is God’s mercy to us.

Our gospel today is challenging us.  That we too should be merciful like God to those who offended us.