24 March 2021 - reflection for the Wednesday of the 5th week of Lent - Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

       Back on Tuesday of the third week of Lent, we heard excerpts from this same third chapter of Daniel, of a song sung by Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego as they were thrown in the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar for not abandoning their faith in God and for not worship the idol that was set out by the king. An angel of God was sent to protect these three young men in the fiery furnace, where they sang songs of praise to God, unharmed by the red hot flames.  Reflecting upon this reading from the book of Daniel, we might ask ourselves about the idols we worship in our own lives and the ways we leave the path of faith for other paths. 

        Today, as we hear this reading from Daniel, we commemorate a martyr for the faith from our modern era: Archbishop Oscar Romero from the Central American Country of El Salvador. He fought the idols of power, greed, corruption, and violence that had taken over his country in the midst of a terrible Civil War.  Those in power in his country expected him to be a weak archbishop who would take their side and who would not have the courage to stand up to them.  However, they were very mistaken, as Romero stood up for justice and peace, for the poor and the vulnerable who were exploited by the small number of the rich and power who had control over his country. The violence in his country hit him very hard immediately after he was appointed Archbishop, as three weeks after that appointment, the murder of his good friend Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande, a vigorous defender of the rights of the poor, took place. Five more priests were assassinated in the Archdiocese of San Salvador during Romero’s years as its shepherd.  On March 24, 1980, Romero himself was assassinated while celebrating mass.  His funeral in front of the cathedral in San Salvador drew over a quarter of a million mourners.  Oscar Romero had this to say: “Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world. Let us not tire of preaching love. Though we see that waves of  violence succeed in drowning the fire of Christian love, love must win out; it is the only thing that can.” St Oscar Romero, pray for us.