26 February 2021

When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 
Ezekiel 4:17, NRSV

In today’s reading, we are reminded that the way God sees and judges is not necessarily the same as the ways in which we might do so. The prophet was writing to a people whose tendency was to believe that punishment for sins could transfer from past to future generations. Here the prophet makes it clear that sin belongs to the individual. He has good news for the repentant sinner whose life will be saved if they turn away from sin and do what is right. He has less good news for those who have turned away from the path of righteousness. They cannot rely on the good deeds of their past life to save them if they turn away from God. We may instinctively feel this is unfair but perhaps what the prophet wants us to understand is that God is more interested in what we are now than how we used to be. Just as God does not keep account of our our past sins but desires the conversion of the sinner, so we cannot become complacent in our relationship with God in relying on good deeds of our past to save us rather than on focusing on our current condition.

• • How do you think these words affected the people Ezekiel was addressing?
  • What impact do these words have on you?

Pray today for the grace to judge yourself and others as God judges.