I Saw One Like A Son Of Man (Daniel 7:13)

“I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.” (Daniel 7:13)

In the first reading of today, we have the prophet Daniel describing his visions of the night. Most of which were fearful and terrifying, they consisted of creatures that resembled partly beasts, sea creatures and birds. To some it may sound like a scene from a fictitious movie, but to Daniel it was more than real. It is the vision of the end times, the judgement day, when the books will be opened! The reading concludes with the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven. To see Jesus in all his glory must have been the only comforting part of Daniel’s chazown!

Have you ever been through a rough day, maybe at work, at home, or running errands, trying real hard to hold it all together, and then all of a sudden you sight the one you love and your troubles vanished in an instant? Have you woken up from a frightful nightmare of losing the one you love, just to find them right beside you? The same feeling of comfort and peace descends when we know that our loved ones are with us and everything will be alright. That is the same peace Daniel must have felt on seeing the Lord, which of course is indescribable. Or is there anyone who according to you radiates God’s love to the highest extreme? Now, imagine meeting that person and being in the presence of that person, you would probably feel the touch of the Holy Spirit, almost as seeing the Lord himself. But that “almost” cannot be compared to the real thing, now can it? There definitely is a God - shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through his Son Jesus. Daniel in his vision speaks of the same “Ancient One” that our hearts long for. St. Augustine of Hippo expressed it most beautifully, when he said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

No matter how many great people we have met or heard of, and no matter how much wealth and fame we have attained, deep down the only thing that will fully satisfy us is having a personal relationship with God and ultimately seeing him face to face. God is a loving Father who “is waiting for us when nothing else we find satisfies us.” Today spend a few moments contemplating the joy of being in God’s holy presence and worshipping him for all eternity. Think about the fact that the entire goal of your life is eternal life with “the only true God, and the one whom [he has] sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). Leave all your worries, anxieties, distractions, aside and simply praise and glorify him for being such a compassionate and generous God, who gave us his only begotten Son so that in knowing him we can find lasting happiness, peace and love!



“Lord Jesus, you are my only lasting desire, the longing to be in your divine presence is the vacuum in my heart. Transform my life, deepen and enlarge my relationship with you.”