SAINT PATRICK, BISHOP (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

We are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, . . . because of our sins. 

Are you wondering what Azariah, the speaker in today’s first reading, was doing in the middle of a fire? Also known as Abednego, Azariah was one of three Israelites serving as administrators for King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. When these three young men refused to worship a large golden statue of the king, they were thrown into a “white-hot furnace” as punishment. But an “angel of the Lord” descended into the furnace and kept the flames from harming the men (Daniel 3:19-20, 49-50). Today’s passage is part of the prayer that Azariah offered the Lord as he and his companions were in the midst of the fire.

When we think of fire in the Bible, we might think first about the fires of hell. But fire is used more as a symbol for God’s work of purifying his people than it is used as a symbol of eternal punishment. That’s the case in Azariah’s story. The fire isn’t just literal; it also stands for a crisis or a time of testing that can make us stronger and more holy.

Although Azariah was already a devout man, his decision to stand up to Nebuchadnezzar no doubt truly tested his faith. The fire also seemed to deepen his awareness of how his own sins could have contributed to his people’s defeat and exile. Sometimes the threat of some sort of “fire” can jolt us into a different perspective.

Are you experiencing any “fires” right now? How might God be using them to draw you closer to him? A difficult child, for example, might help you become more patient. Or a health crisis can make you more sympathetic to other people’s problems.

It’s easier to lose sight of the Lord when our lives are going well. It’s the fires that make us cry out to him. We may not welcome these fires, but God, in his infinite wisdom, can use them to deepen our holiness. Even if he doesn’t rescue us from the fire in the miraculous way he protected Azariah, he will be with us in the fire, and he will use it to purify us and draw us closer to him.

“Lord, teach me how to praise you and trust you in the fire, just as Azariah did.”

Psalm 25:4-9
Matthew 18:21-35
Daniel 3:25, 34-43