The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
The Lord upholds me.
2 Maccabees 6: 18 – 31 Eleazar, one of
the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being
forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat… But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner, of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God… He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: "At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat… But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner, of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God… He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: "At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion.
Am I aging with dignity? Do I see my
responsibility to live the faith growing as I get older?
Action: Remember your words and your
example have an influence on others – live up to your responsibility.
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