14 November 2021
‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
From Daniel 12:1-3 , NRSV
Daniel’s words in today’s first reading are regarded as the first biblical mention of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. He was writing at a time when the Jews were suffering a time of great persecution. He offers them the great hope that there will come a day when the Lord, their true ruler, will return and bring them to fullness of life. Through his mighty archangel Michael, the Lord will bring about the deliverance of his people. Before this, the after-life had been perceived as a sort of empty, gloomy existence in a place called Sheol. Now the faithful are promised resurrection and eternal life with God.
- Why do you think this prophecy was given at this particular time?
- What does the “resurrection of the dead” mean to you?
Spend some time today recalling those who have died – including those who gave their lives in the two World Wars – remembering the promise of today’s reading.
