Saturday of the 19th week in course
Human beings sure like to whine, don’t we? Something bad happens and we look around for someone to take responsibility, somebody to blame for our misfortunes. Ezekiel faced that during his long exile in Babylon. He was constantly asked why by the Israelites who had been taken the first time they had tried to shake off the domination by Babylon to defend God. The Lord, they said, punished us even though it was daddy or granddaddy who worshiped false gods and consorted with pagan temple prostitutes. “I’m guiltless; I’m innocent,” they complained. They thought they were being punished for the sins of their ancestors.
That makes sense in one way. God gave the ten commandments to Israel on Sinai, cleared much of the Holy Land so that Israel could be planted and grow, and build a Temple and give Him right worship in a life of clean, loving conduct. But most of the history of Israel was filled with leaders and people disobeying God’s law, turning their backs on right worship and going back to the Baals and Astartes and their wanton ceremonies. So it certainly was kind of reasonable for them to blame God for being unfair.
But here’s the real problem–a culture of defiance and death had been built up in Jerusalem and Judah, so that really innocent people were rare. I think that’s helps explain the story of God bargaining with Abraham over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities were corrupt systemically. It was almost impossible for a just man or woman to live righteously in a situation where every leader, every priest, every teacher and every family other than his own was corrupt.
So Ezekiel really had good news about the renewed Israel that would return and build a new society. In this new Israel, the good, just people would not suffer punishment. The new society would be made of people who valued their relationship to the Lord, who followed His moral law, and who worshiped Him alone, and Him correctly. We know that what Ezekiel was really prophesying about is the kingdom of God brought by and won by Our Lord Jesus Christ. We can, by our own repentance and right worship, be citizens of this kingdom. But we must each take responsibility for our actions. That requires grounding in Truth, that is in Jesus Christ, and serious thought and advice from wise counselors. We must always come to Jesus.
So when some parents brought their little ones to Jesus, so He could lay hands on them and bless them, the disciples should have been welcoming. But, no, they tried to shoo them away. Jesus let them come and he laid hands on the children. Now St. Mark, writing the memoirs of his mentor, St. Peter, adds that Jesus was indignant at the apostles for preventing the children from His touch. Christ was really angry with His chosen followers. So He told the disciples not to hinder them, because the kingdom of heaven would be reserved for the child-like. Note that does not mean “childish,” silly, incapable of being serious. It means that we must focus on the Father, and do His will, and become His adopted children, acting always like Our Lord.
