March 9th, Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

Daniel 3: 25, 34-43, Psalm 25: 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8 and 9, Matthew 18: 21-35

Daniel 3 is about Azariah and his companions who stood up to King Nebuchadnezzar's demand that they worship his golden statue. They refuse and are thrown into a blazing furnace, but they remain unharmed because God has protected them from the flames.

Azariah stands up in the blazing furnace and begins to pray aloud to God telling Him that everything that God has done has been just and fair. This prayer is humble and sincere. It asks God not to take away the promises He made to Isaac and to have mercy on them for the sake of His love of Abraham. This deep and unquenchable faith is to be admired and we should all strive to emulate it.

My model of this way of life of prayer is my father who lived to be 93 years old, and every day for 60 of those 93 years he knelt down and prayed the rosary to praise God and to ask for His forgiveness. He reached out to help his six brothers and sisters. Not just with his prayers and personal sacrifices, but also with financial help, as well as, personally caring about their children. He never asked for repayment or even praise or recognition in return. Many years later, you could see their love for my father for what he had done for them and their mother.

He lived a life full of love for all of us, but especially for his grand children whom he deeply cherished. He loved children.

Bob Ryan - Sales manager, father of four.