Following the joy of the election of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which we celebrated yesterday, our Lenten journey presents us today with the moving prayer of Azariah (Dan 3, 3–22), one of the three young men who, thanks to divine intervention, emerged unharmed from the fiery furnace.
Azariah, who lives in exile in Babylon alongside his people, first expresses his deep lament at having lost everything that once constituted the center of his life, while at the same time acknowledging the people’s guilt: “For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. And at this time there is no prince, or prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, no place to make an offering before thee or to find mercy.” (vv. 14–15a).
How important it is to acknowledge reality with such depth! Israel feels the consequences of having turned away from God and realizes that it has brought this upon itself. In this prayer, no one and nothing is blamed for the suffering and misfortune that have befallen the people; rather, one’s own guilt is acknowledged in a simple and sincere manner.