Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as with the feast of the Holy Forefathers, that is, all the Old Testament saints who waited with hope for the coming of the Saviour! The three youths, Ananias, Azarias, and Misail, about whom the Holy Prophet of God Daniel wrote in his not particularly long book, are especially commemorated today. Today let’s briefly discuss the book of the Prophet Daniel.

Saint Daniel was a contemporary of the Prophet Ezekiel, about whom we talked last Sunday. He, along with his friends Ananias, Azarias, and Misail, were led away into exile by the Babylonians while still children or teenagers. Together with other handsome and bright children of defeated nations, they were educated at the court of Nebuchadnezzar and were later assigned to serve in the administration of the King: Daniel at the court as a counselor and the three youths as governors in on of the provinces of Babylon. These holy men, despite being raised by pagans and becoming members of the cultural and governing elite of Babylon, remained steadfast in their faith in the one true God and diligently held fast to the Jewish ritual laws. The Holy Prophet Daniel served not only the Babylonian kings, but also the Persian rulers who replaced the Chaldeans. According to Church Tradition, he died at a ripe old age while still in exile.

The book of St. Daniel is quite interesting and unique. It was written by the prophet himself not only in the Hebrew. but also partly in Aramaic, the language of the Chaldeans. It can he divided into two main parts. The first part is comprised of six didactic stories or historical narratives from the life of St. Daniel and his friends. These stories contain various prophecies, for example a prophecy about the fall of the Babylonian kingdom. The stories themselves can also be understood as prophecies or types. The second part of the book has a prophetic, apocalyptic character to it and is composed of four visions. Perhaps for many, especially for those who attend church services in the evenings, the book of the Holy Prophet of God Daniel is the most familiar of all the Old Testament prophetic books. This book is especially interesting and in some sense quite accessible because it contains not only prophetic elements, but also much instructive material. For all of us who live in a heterodox country, the Book of Daniel is especially valuable.

Dear brothers and sisters, in his book Saint Daniel beautifully and colourfully narrates the story of today’s saints, the three youths. We read how they remained faithful to the true God, did not bow down to the statue of the king, and were mercilessly punished for this. Under the watchful eye of the king himself, they were thrown into a flaming furnace, where, to the amazement of the cruel tormentor, they remained whole and uninjured. In such an unusual situation the young men glorified God with wonderful words in song. This narrative clearly reminds us that the Lord does not abandon His followers. Among the youths was noticed a fourth person, who was protecting them from harm. Some believe that the fourth man in the furnace was an angel send by God, while others consider him to be God Himself protecting the young men. At the same the interpreters of Holy Scripture see in this history a foreshadowing of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The youths remained unharmed in the fire just as the Most-Holy Mother of God remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of her son. Through the prayers of the holy youths, the prophet Daniel, and all the Forefathers and Foremothers, may our Lord God continue to shelter us from all harm, sending down to us guardian angels, as happened many years ago in the Babylonian furnace.

priest Alexis