This is Cardinal Francis George. I invite you to join me for the next two minutes to reflect

with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire. Word on Fire Catholic

Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization, using

new media to spread the faith and every continent. Father Barron challenges us to open our hearts

to the Word on Fire, which is God's Word of Love for each of us. If our hearts are open,

the Lord can change and transform us so that we might speak with love about the one who

is love. The global benefactors of Word on Fire with the support of the Archdiocese of

Chicago now present Word on Fire.

Peace be with you. Friends, it's that time of year again. Days are getting short, skies

are overcast, perhaps a few snowflakes are in the air. The brightly colored leaves

have all fallen, and only the Barron branches are left. An ominous bleakness is all about.

November has arrived, and with it, the liturgical readings, dealing with the end of time, the

destruction of the world, a great cosmic battle. This time of year, we always deal with

these texts. Our first reading for this weekend has taken from the Book of Daniel. One

of the most extraordinary of all the Biblical books. I recommend he sit down maybe during

these bleak weeks at the end of the liturgical year and read through the Book of Daniel.

It's fascinating, strange, puzzling, wonderful book. It was written most likely in the second

century BC during the time of the Maccabeean Rebellion. That's when a group of very

pious Jews were rebelling against the Hellenizing Greeks who had invaded the Jewish space and

were trying to undermine much of traditional Jewish life. It was written during a time of great

crisis, of struggle, of conflict. The first part of the Book of Daniel deals with a period

much earlier than when it was written, but another particularly dark time in Jewish history.

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