The story of Susanna in the first readings is a compelling story that tells us that things are not always as they seem. And sometimes life can get pretty dark. But Jesus is the Light of the world. Readings for Today.
Hopefully at Mass today you heard the long form of the daily Mass reading. Even though it is quite long, the story is captivating. A woman is almost killed because people believed the lie about her. Daniel's faithfulness reminds us that God is never outdone if faithfulness.
So much of the story follows a familiar pattern. First, Susanna's husband, Joakim is a very upright man, very well off and deeply respected. In marrying Susanna, Joakim marries a woman who was raised in a good family, and follows the Law of Moses.
In the Old Testament, the type of wealth enjoyed by Joakim and his wife Susanna was a sign of God's blessings. Another example of this is the story of Job who was also very upright, yet experienced great suffering. Such will be the case in this story as well.
The experiences recounted serve as a reminder that material wealth is not the sign of righteousness and fidelity. For wealth alone does not guarantee freedom from bad events in life. Susanna will certainly soon discover this.
Unfortunately not everyone in the world is just and upright. In come those who will create the conflict in the story. Two nameless judges (political leaders) give into their base natures. And they believe in their lust that that can or should have Susanna because they want to have her.
But such is not the way. Most of us learned as little kids that we could not always have what we wanted simply because we wanted it. Our parents used a word with us that was not always popular. Sometimes they said "no."
And this was good for us. It taught us, as I used to say to my students, "The earth revolves around the sun, it does not revolve around you." And to become mature adults we needed to learn this.
But in the life of faith, recognizing the primacy of God and his grace to help us live the way he wishes us to live is even more important. Because it is more essential that we pay careful attention to what type of person God wants us to be. In fact, that is the key aspect of Lent. Lent is not so much about what we do, but who we become.
The two lustful judges serve as a good reminder as to what happens when we do not look to God to help us to resist temptation. "They suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments."
Isn't this the case? Little by little in sin we can convince ourselves that bad is good and good is bad. In their failure to form and to listen to their consciences, they ultimately risk not only their physical safety, but far more importantly they risk losing their spiritual safety.
In treating Susanna as an object, the two men lose their way. In a bad way. Susanna is victimized. We don't know the reaction of her husband, but this had to be something quite difficult to face. And the sadness of her family adds to the problem.
But Susanna outlines us a good way to make a decision. “I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned. “If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your power. Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord.”
It can be easy to fall under the spell of those in power. This is what the people did. But God stirs the heart of young Daniel. And through him we learn that God is dependable and trustworthy. Even though it may not appear so at the time, our real hope is in heaven, and that gift comes to us through God's gracious and most generous grace.
God saves those who hope in him. Let us, today, pray that we may trust in God's salvation, and become the persons he wants us to be.
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