Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope Ezekiel 37:1–14 Today, Ezekiel stands in a valley full of dry bones. This valley is a cemetery. It symbolizes the death of Israel’s nationhood. Jerusalem has fallen. The temple has been destroyed. The Davidic kingdom has disappeared. The people are in exile. And they say: “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are cut off.” ...
Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church Ezekiel 36:23–28 The destruction of Jerusalem did not affect only Israel. It also touched the name of the Lord. In the ancient world, people believed that the gods of a nation rose and fell with that nation. If a nation was defeated, its god was thought to be weak. So when Jerusalem fell, ...
Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 34:1–11 The shepherds of Judea were tough men. They watched their flocks day and night. They protected them from wild animals and thieves. They needed vigilance, courage, and patient love. Some ancient shepherds even gave their lives to defend their sheep. For this reason, from the time of Moses, the image of the shepherd was used for the leaders of Israel. ...
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 28:1–10 Today’s reading comes from a larger section of the Book of Ezekiel: the oracles against the nations. Ezekiel speaks about Israel’s neighbors: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. Some of them had fought against Israel. Some rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall. Some gave false hope. Some trusted in their wealth, their armies, their position, their gods. Today, Ezekiel speaks against Tyre. ...
Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 24:15–23 In today’s reading, one phrase is repeated twice: “the delight of your eyes.” First, it refers to Ezekiel’s wife. This tells us how much the prophet loved her. Then, the same phrase is used for Jerusalem and its temple. They were the delight of the people’s eyes. Their pride. Their security. Their joy. And both would be taken away. This is one of the hardest passages in the Book of Ezekiel. ...
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 56:1, 6–7; Romans 11:13–15, 29–32; Matthew 15:21–28 From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus’ mission had a clear focus: to renew Israel. He sent His disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Yet again and again, Jesus met people from other nations, other backgrounds, other religious worlds. And something in them often amazed Him: their faith. Among those who knew Jesus well, we often hear about little faith, ...
The Assumption of Mary Revelation 11:19a; 12:1–6a, 10ab; Psalm 45; 1 Corinthians 15:20–27; Luke 1:39–56 The Assumption of Mary is not only about Mary. It is also about us. It is about the human body. It is about death. It is about what Christ has promised to those who belong to Him. In the second reading, Saint Paul says: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” ...
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr Ezekiel 16:1–15, 60, 63 Today’s reading from Ezekiel is difficult. It uses the image of Jerusalem as an abandoned child whom God finds, raises, loves, and adorns. Later, that same Jerusalem becomes unfaithful. The language is strong. The images are painful. But at the center of the reading there is a deep truth about God and about us. ...
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 12:1–12 In today’s reading, God asks Ezekiel to do something strange. He must pack his belongings as if he is going into exile. He must leave the house while people are watching. He must dig through the wall. He must cover his face. He must become a living sign. This was not theatre. This was prophecy. Ezekiel was already among the exiles in Babylon. Many of them still hoped that Jerusalem would survive. The city was still standing. The temple was still there. Perhaps they thought: “This exile will not last long. Soon we will go home.” ...
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 9:1–7; 10:18–22 Today’s reading from Ezekiel is difficult. It makes us uncomfortable. And it should. Ezekiel sees the judgment of Jerusalem. He sees violence. He sees mysterious figures passing through the city. He hears a terrible command: do not look with pity, show no mercy. When we hear this as Christians, we struggle. Because in the Gospel, God does look on us with pity. ...