Daniel 6:12-28 / Luke 21:20-28
"Thanksgiving Day" is a national holiday with religious significance in the United States. Although it is not celebrated in Singapore, yet we heard and read about it.
For us, we know that it comes about at this time and following it will be Advent and the busy year end liturgical celebrations.
It may also mean that we start to look around and unpack our festive decorations because Christmas is only a month away.
How time flies and soon we will be looking at the last month of the year.
Even though we may not celebrate Thanksgiving as a public holiday or a religious feast, nonetheless it may remind us to be always thankful to God for His blessings.
The 1st reading tells how God protected his servant, the prophet Daniel, from the lions in the pit, and that inspired king Darius to issue a decree that praised God.
Yes, we thank God for such an inspiring story that gives us the confidence to continue to put our faith in God in times of trial.
And even though in the gospel Jesus spoke of distress, yet we again must thank God for giving us a glimpse of the turbulence that we will face in the future.
Because in that distressing and turbulent future, Jesus has already told us that when those things take place, we must stand erect and hold our heads high because our liberation is at hand.
Let us prepare for that liberation with thanksgiving and with grateful hearts.