Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
If only we were in a more conducive environment, we say to ourselves, then we would be able to serve God the way He demands.
But who was in a less conducive environment than Daniel in today’s reading? Driven into exile and serving in the court of a pagan king—a pagan king whose very manner of living challenged the law that Daniel kept—it would have been easy for Daniel to pity his own existence and give in to despair. The Book of Daniel, however, gives testimony to the power of trust in providence to guide one through the most difficult of circumstances. In this, Daniel is a model to everyone who pursues holiness in the midst of our world today.
No doubt our jobs present us with any number of challenges to our faith, moral dilemmas to discern, or tricky relationships to navigate. Can we trust that God will not leave us orphaned in the midst of these troubles and will guide us safely, provided we spend more time listening to Him than to the voice of self-pity that occupies our thoughts? If for only today, let us promise ourselves that we will approach our daily labors with the hope that springs from boundless trust in God’s providence.