Breaking the Word

34^th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 28^th November 2023 – Dan 2,31-45; Lk 21,5-11

Divine Gift for Interpretation

The first reading describes Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. From yesterday’s reading, we find that Daniel had a special gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream. The king had a series of dreams but he cannot remember their contents which greatly disturbed him. He calls all his wise men and astrologers to interpret them. Naturally, without telling them the contents, they cannot do so, and so they give all kinds of excuses to cover their ignorance. The king goes into a rage and wants them all executed. However, Daniel and his companions are given the opportunity to interpret with the same fate. Daniel being blessed with a divine gift for interpreting dreams passed through the crucial tests and interpreted correctly. In these stories Daniel show cases his wisdom, piety, and fidelity. Because of which he is presented as a new Joseph, a Jew in a foreign land (Babylon), who serves the foreign king (Nebuchadnezzar) and interprets for him troubling dreams, just as Joseph had done for Pharaoh in Egypt (Gen 41,1-36). But Daniel surpasses Joseph, for Daniel must interpret the dream without the king telling him what he dreamt. He must reveal both the dream and its interpretations.

34^th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 27^th November 2023 – Dan 1,1-6.8-20; Lk 21,1-4

Daniel Diet

Today’s first reading is from the introduction to the book of Daniel. It presents Daniel and his three Jewish companions who are brought to serve in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. When the nation of Judah fell into the hands of Babylonians, the conquering king demanded the service of the best youth for his court. Into this service four young men were included: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were given Babylonian names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In order to keep themselves free from defiled foods, they requested to eat only uncooked vegetables and drink water. Any cooked food was most likely cooked over fires which came from the wood of the Babylonian sacred trees (would become sacrilegious). Daniel then pleaded with the official who was in charge of the training of all the youth from conquered peoples to be tested for ten days with their own diet. By their own choice, they subsisted on a meager diet of water and vegetables and ended up healthier than the other servants of the king who ate much more and drank wine. This diet is often called the “Daniel Diet”, which made them physically fit to serve in King’s court. It is clear that Daniel stands taller than his three companions and there are some clear resemblances between Daniel and Joseph, the son of Jacob who became a high official in the Pharaoh’s court.