Reading 1
Ez 1:2-5, 24-28c
On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year,
that is, of King Jehoiachin’s exile,
The word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel,
the son of Buzi,
in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.—
There the hand of the LORD came upon me.
As I looked, a stormwind came from the North,
a huge cloud with flashing fire enveloped in brightness,
from the midst of which (the midst of the fire)
something gleamed like electrum.
Within it were figures resembling four living creatures
that looked like this: their form was human.
Then I heard the sound of their wings,
like the roaring of mighty waters,
like the voice of the Almighty.
When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army.
And when they stood still, they lowered their wings.
Above the firmament over their heads
something like a throne could be seen,
looking like sapphire.
Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man.
Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum;
downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire;
he was surrounded with splendor.
Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day
was the splendor that surrounded him.
Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
Gospel
Mt 17:22-27
As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
And they were overwhelmed with grief.
When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
“Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes,” he said.
When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,
Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?
From their subjects or from foreigners?”
When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him,
“Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you.”
Meditation: Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28
“In the land of the Chaldeans …the hand of the Lord came upon me.” (Ezekiel 1:3)
Ezekiel was a priest from Jerusalem who was among the skilled workers sent into exile by the Babylonian king in 597 b.c. This exile was seen as a national disgrace, a sign of God’s disfavor over the people’s disregard of the covenant. So when the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel in far-off Babylon, it was news indeed. Here he was, cut off from Jerusalem and the Temple, and still God called him. Amazing! God hadn’t abandoned the people to their fate! He still wanted to nourish them with his word, even in this foreign, hostile land!
What did God say to the exiles through Ezekiel? Well, he didn’t confirm their hopes for a swift return home and an easy peace. Instead, Ezekiel prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem as the consequence of the people’s disobedience and rebellion. And within a few years, he was proved right. In 586 b.c., Babylon’s army overran the city, and the sacred Temple was burnt to the ground.
Just then, something very interesting happened. Ezekiel, once known as a prophet of condemnation and doom, began speaking of restoration and renewal instead. He promised that God would do something new among his people. He would raise them up and give them a new heart. He would give them a new spirit that would inspire them to think and act in accordance with his will. He would raise them from their graves of isolation and destruction and give them new life and hope (Ezekiel 37).
Through his prophecies, Ezekiel offered the people confrontation and comfort—each according to their needs at the time. He showed how faithful God is to his people and to his purposes. And today he shows us that no matter how far we may wander from him, God will not give up on us.
We all experience rough patches in our relationship with the Lord. We all have periods when we just can’t seem to stay close to him. It’s in these times that God turns to us with compassion and the offer of healing. He doesn’t reject us at all. On the contrary, it seems that he loves us even more. That’s how faithful he is to all of us!
“Father, so many people are far from you today, yet you have not abandoned them. Jesus, we entrust all of creation to you!”
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