song of the 3 young men: feast of st vincent ferrer 2017

Today our responsorial psalm is taken from the book of the prophet Daniel.  It is not a psalm but it is a hymn, the title in fact is the Canticle of the three young men.  It was composed during the Babylonian Exile when the Jews were forced to fall down and worship the golden statue of the Babylonian Emperor Nebuchadnezzar at the sound of any musical instruments.  They refused for they would not worship anyone or anything but God.  And so they were sentenced to death, and the three young men were led to the furnace which was made 7 times hotter even the guards who threw the young men inside the furnace were themselves devoured by the flames. 

The three young men sung this hymn inside that furnace, praising God, invoking all creation to praise and bless God with them.  They were saved from the flames.  In fact the King saw not three but 4 men walking inside the furnace, and the 4^th one looked like a son of God, an angel who had come to save them from the flames that not a hair or a piece of their clothing was singed by fire.

"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."

The hymn is a beautiful hymn not so much because of its lyrics but because of the circumstances in which it was composed and sung.  It was composed and sung at a time when these three young men were struggling with all their hearts to live out the law given by God.  It was sung at a time when they were ostracized for their beliefs, when they were belittled because of their actions, when they were looked down because of their practices.

I feel that it is more difficult, I believe it is 10 times more difficult, for you to become and remain a seminarian than it was in our day and age.  And it also follows that it is more difficult to answer the call to the priesthood, ten times more difficult, than it was in our day and age.  By just answering the call to become a seminarian, you have already deprived yourself of so many things – you have already set aside the freedom to do what you want, you have set aside to go where you want, you deprive yourself the use of cellphones, the freedom to watch TV, to use your laptops, to use the internet, or even just the use of an air-conditioned room which many of you have been accustomed in your homes, even just to make life a bit more convenient; with so many choices now you forgo the choices of food and are made to eat the things you don't want to eat, to listen to music you do not understand and even your choices of girlfriends are limited which explains why some of them are not really worth it. 

It is already heroic in a sense to answer even just the initial call so much so that it would be already extra generous for us to answer the call to the priesthood.

And yet to answer is to become like the three young men who have given all in their service of God.  Looked down upon, they never gave up.  Considered not up with the times they continued to worship only the Lord.  Threatened they stood for what they believed and continued to heed God's call.

Seminarians are rebels, natural rebels, like the three young men – going against the tide of hedonism, swimming against the current of the modern world, believing and even enjoying what they chose in God and for God.

And yet we must also be careful for the devil will use even the good that we do against us.  Many times the temptation of being so deprived of so many things is to believe that you are entitled.  I am entitled to this and I am entitled to that because I am a seminarian – I have done already so many sacrifices.  Many times your parents would even feed that need.  But don't feel entitled as if you deserve something because of what you have been deprived of.  No.  The three young men directed their praise to God and not to themselves.  The 3 young men directed their attention to God and not to themselves "Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.  "Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."

Always be humble.  Our reward is in heaven.  Don't expect rewards from me.  I will not even give you the chance to do long speeches after a very good work.  Train yourself to just keep quiet and direct all praises to God.

St. Vincent Ferrer our patron is a great preacher because he converted many by his preaching.  And his favorite topics were the Four Last Things – Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.  We will all one day die and in death we will be judged by God, by how much we have loved and served God in this life, and by how much we have loved and served our neighbor in this life.  Then we either go to hell or to heaven and live with God for all eternity.  For St. Vincent Ferrer these are the things that should pre-occupy us so that we can make choices, good choices in our lives.  And so we thank God for our heavenly patron who taught us the way to lease him in all things even if it entails in us inconveniences, sacrifices and hardships.   Do all things for the glory of God. "Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever."  Glory and praise for ever!