From reading of Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011
Ezekiel warns Israel of God’s judgement
Bible Accent: The prophet Ezekiel
Saint for Today: St. Therese Couderc
Puzzle
Ezekiel warns Israel of God’s judgement
My name is Ezekiel, son of Buzi. I am a priest. During King Jehoiachin’s exile, the Lord spoke to me and gave me many visions. At one time he said to me, “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them for me. If I say to the wicked man, ‘You shall die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life.”
So I have said these words to Israel: “An end is coming, the end is coming upon you.!” I did as I was told. I obeyed the commands of the Lord. On another day, the Lord said to me, “If [a man] oppresses no one, gives back the pledge received for a debt, commits no robbery; if he gives food to the hungry and clothes the naked; if he does not lend at interest nor exact usury; if he hold off from evildoing, judges fairly between a man and his opponent; if he lives by my statutes and is careful to observe my ordinances, that man is virtuous – he shall surely live, says the Lord God.”
The Lord also told me that if a man does not obey his commandments, but continues to sin, that man shall die. If that same wicked man turns from his wicked ways and follows the commandments of the Lord, he shall live. But if a good man should begin to sin and no longer obey the Lord, he shall die.
But the people of Israel say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” And the Lord says to them, “Is it my way that is not fair, house of Israel, or rather is it not that your ways are not fair? Therefore, I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways . . . For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord God. Return and live!”
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
Ezekiel 18
Q&A
1. What did the Lord say would happen to a virtuous man?
2. How will God judge the house of Israel?
Bible Accent: The prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel may have been the first man to be called as a prophet after he had been exiled into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. The Book of Ezekiel has two main topics. The first is the destruction of Israel by God because of his anger with the people of Israel for not following his commandments. The second is the forgiveness God wants to show Israel if they repent return to him. Ezekiel saw many visions and they are included in his book. The closing chapters of his book describe the time of the Lord’s return and a rebuilding of the temple. The books of the Old Testament prophets can be difficult to understand, but they are worth reading and discussing with your parents and your religious education teachers. Many good Bibles include background information that explains what is happening in these books.
Saint for Today: St. Therese Couderc
St. Therese Couderc (1805-1885) was one of three young nuns who were selected by Father J.P.E. Terme to care for a hostel he had established for women pilgrims in La Louvesc, France. By the time she was only in her early twenties, Teresa had been appointed as the superioress of the hostel, which was in a mountainous region that had thin air and extreme winters. Father Terme instructed the nuns to begin holding retreats for the women of the area, and these retreats were very popular with the women. After the death of Father Terme, the regular school teaching of the hostel was separated from the retreats, and this created a financial hardship for the nuns. Teresa accepted the blame, although it was not her fault. She spent most of her life modestly, hidden from the public, but she inspired many women from Southern France to further their religious lives and education. We remember her on September 26.
Puzzle
