These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD. Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man stood beside me. The voice said to me: Son of man, this is where my throne shall be, this is where I will set the soles of my feet; here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever. (Ez 43:1-7ab)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082022.cfm
The summer of the prophets comes to a close today with Ezekiel’s magnificent vision of the glory of the Lord filling a restored temple. Saint Bernard is the patron saint of Saint Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, where I pursued my religious calling. Saint Bernard said: “Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment. I love because I love; I love in order that I may love.” Today's picture is of Saint Bernard Abbey Church. Today's hymn is Jesu, Dulcis Memoria (Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee) written by Saint Bernard.
Then the LORD said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. (Ez 37:1-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081922.cfm
The human project can sometimes feel like a massive failure, but God can raise up even our dead, dry bones and give us new life, new hope, new vision.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you; you shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Ez 36:23-28)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081822.cfm
God’s mercy and compassion are inexhaustible. God makes all things new . . . including us: a new spirit, a new heart, a new people!
Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the LORD. (Ez 34:1-11)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081722.cfm
When Pope Francis says that shepherds should have the smell of the sheep, he’s talking about the problem of clericalism. The Prophet Ezekiel is also talking about shepherds who pasture themselves rather than the sheep. “Shepherds, hear the word of the LORD” and what follows are some of the most terrible words in all the Scriptures. What God wants is that the weak be strengthened, the sick healed, the injured cared for, the strayed to be returned, the lost to be found. As God says: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” And as the Psalmist joyfully proclaims: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are haughty of heart, you say, “A god am I! I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!”— And yet you are a man, and not a god, however you may think yourself like a god. No, you are man, not a god, handed over to those who will slay you. (Ez 28:1-10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081622.cfm
The prophet Ezekiel pronounces the doom of the Prince of Tyre who is the biblical definition of hubris. It’s what happens when we throw our weight around and act like we own the world. There will be a reckoning. As Ezekiel reminds us: you are human, you are not a god.
