If you have ever wondered where the phrase 'The writing is on the wall' came from, then just look at today's First Reading from Daniel. It is Daniel's warning of how Belshazzar's empire will collapse because of his sacrilege in pillaging the Jerusalem Temple, God's house. This book also gives us the phrase 'feet of clay', warning Nebuchadnezzar of the ultimate fate of his and his successor's empires. As we approach the end of the Church year, we are asked to examine our own lives and see whether they are built on the firm foundations of Jesus' view of life or on the sand of self-centred ambition and desires. At the same time, the Gospel today also reminds us that, even when we are most faithful to following the Way of Jesus, we are likely to be misunderstood, criticised and even personally attacked. This was the experience of the Gospel's greatest witnesses - the martyrs, those who followed Christ all the way.