The truth of Life

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Monday of 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, and St. Cecilia, November 22nd, 2021
Texts: Daniel 1:1-6.8-20; Ps. Daniel 3:29-34; Luke 21:1-4
One thing about life is that it is a mystery. It is a mystery because its truth is simple and evident and hard to believe. The truth of life is not always about logic: we give all to have all, we lose our life to gain it, we die to live forever, we live to die, we humble  ourselves to be exalted.
The simplicity and evidence of the truth is obscured because multitude turn against it and thereby create an illusory world. We are often deceived by what multitude claims to be right; we now follow crowd. We now live in the world of multitude rather than in the world of truth. Truth becomes what to search for, not because it is complicated or not evident, but because we have to break through the illusory world created by people to reach it. We can reach the truth only when we can afford to allow the illusory world slip off our hands.
The three men, Daniel, Hannaniah and Azariah, in today's first reading and the widow in the gospel reading were able to unravel the mystery of life and discover that faithfulness to God is the way of life. No one discover the truth of life and still hold on to the illusory world; they are ready to trade the illusory world for God’s faithfulness, even their lives they do not consider important to God's faithfulness.
Daniel, Hannaniah and Azariah took the risk of trading royal food for vegetables and water because of their faithfulness to God. The widow trade her  living with God for her faithfulness to God. All these people discover discover a truth, the mystery of life, which they cannot let go for luxury and pleasure. They teach us to prioritise the faithfulness to God.
St. Cecilia, whose memorial is today, traded her life for Jesus Christ. She was a virgin till her death. Being virgin she reminds us of the need of purity of life; we are to keep our lives pure. She is a matron to musicians.

Lord our God, grant us the grace to be able to trade with You for eternal life. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke