Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 26 November ‘25
Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday
Daniel 5:1–6, 13–14, 16–17, 23–28; Luke 21:12–19
Life’s Warnings
Life is never without warnings. They come quietly, unexpectedly, sometimes through people, sometimes through events, sometimes through our own conscience. But how we receive these warnings determines the path we take.
A young man once drove his precious Ferrari up a mountain road. A girl standing by the roadside shouted, “Hey… Pig!” Angry at what he thought was an insult, he lowered his window to shout back, “You’re the pig!” Within seconds he crashed headlong into a real pig standing in the road. The girl had not insulted him; she was warning him. But because he misread the warning, he paid the price.
This is how life often works. Warnings surround us. Those who accept them prepare themselves and avoid danger. Those who reject them bring harm upon themselves.
Today’s readings carry two kinds of warnings.
(1) The Warning of Judgment (Daniel 5)
King Belshazzar sits in a grand banquet hall, drinking with his nobles. Celebrating is not wrong. But what is deeply wrong is the vessels they are using: the sacred vessels taken from the Temple of the Lord. The holy has been reduced to entertainment. At that moment, a mysterious hand writes on the palace wall—words that become the origin of the English expression, “the writing on the wall.” God declares: “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” This is a painful warning— You are not what you were meant to be. You have disappointed the One who trusted you. Here the warning comes as judgment: the consequence of Belshazzar’s choices, his irreverence, his pride.
(2) The Warning of Courage (Luke 21)
The Gospel gives us a different kind of warning. Jesus tells His disciples that they will face trials: arrests, betrayals, hatred, rejection. This is not because they have done wrong, but because they have chosen to follow Him. Yet His warning is wrapped in consolation: “This will be your opportunity to bear witness.” “Not a hair of your head will perish.” “By your endurance you will gain your lives.” This is not a warning of punishment, but a call to perseverance. A promise that God will not abandon His faithful ones.
(3) Life’s Warnings: God’s Invitations
Warnings in life come in two forms: To correct our wrongdoing—so we may turn back. To strengthen our resolve—so we may stand firm. But in both cases, God’s purpose is the same: to protect us, shape us, and lead us into fullness of life.
Three Questions for Today
(a) How do I respond to the warnings that come my way? Do I receive them with humility, or misunderstand them like the young man who mistook a warning for an insult?
(b) If God were to weigh me on His scales today, would I be found wanting? Where have I lost my weight in faith, love, integrity, compassion, or responsibility?
(c) What weakens my endurance? Which inner fears or outward pressures threaten my steadfastness? And how can I root myself more deeply in Christ’s strength?
Today the Word reminds us: A warning is not a threat—it is a gift. It is God’s gentle voice saying, “I want you safe. I want you whole. I want you mine.”
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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