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The prophetic watchman

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Ezekiel 33:7-9

The prophet Ezekiel seems to have spent his whole prophetic career among the exiles in Babylon between 593 and 571 B.C. He was a member of a priestly family, apparently of some prominence. This may explain why he was carried into exile when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians for the first time in 597 B.C.

His prophetic calling came soon after that. He would learn from afar of the final destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. and would help his countrymen in exile understand what it meant to be God's people now that the homeland seemed to be definitively destroyed.

This Sunday's reading is from a section of Ezekiel which is intended to offer hope and encouragement to the exiles to help them from falling into desperation. It is designed to lead the Israelites to a knowledge of God's readiness to forgive them and, eventually, to bring them back to a new kind of life.

Our reading begins with God addressing the prophet: "You, son of man . . ." This phrase seems to be God's preferred way of addressing Ezekiel. It occurs some 96 times in this book of the Bible. It is God's term for "human being" and seems to indicate a creature fully absorbed by its humanity while being totally separated from the divine. One is inclined to suggest that it stands for something like "tiny product of my omnipotence."

God loves human beings, but God is no less infinitely distant from them for that reason. ("Son of man" would be Jesus' preferred way of referring to himself. The phrase occurs in His mouth 78 times in the Gospels. Scholars have speculated about the theological significance of the phrase, but the only thing they can agree on seems to be that, at very least, the phrase stands for the first person pronoun "I" or "me.")

Our Ezekiel passage goes on to describe this son of man's prophetic responsibility: he is a watchman, deputed to look after the safety and well-being of his countrymen, to warn them of impending danger. He is charged with forwarding God's message to those to whom it is addressed. If God wants to warn a sinner to change his ways, the prophetic watchman is charged with delivering the message. If he does not deliver the message and the sinner dies in his sins, the prophet will share the responsibility for the sinner's destruction. If, on the other hand, he does deliver the message, but the sinner rejects it, the sinner alone will be responsible for his fate.

This reading has been chosen to harmonize with the first part of this Sunday's Gospel reading (Matthew 18:15-20). Both are concerned with fraternal correction, with dealing with the sinfulness of the brothers and sisters who surround us.

The first thing that these two readings teach us is that human beings have responsibility for each other's well-being. In the case of Ezekiel, it seems that only some are chosen to exercise the mission of looking out for the sinner's well-being. Not everybody is a watchman. In the Gospel reading, on the other hand, it seems that our brothers (or sisters) have a claim on our concern for their sinfulness simply because they are brothers or sisters. Moreover, this concern is not just between two individuals. It includes other "witnesses" and then the whole assembly of the faithful. We all share responsibility for dealing with the sins of those around us.

But we need to be clear about what fraternal correction entails. It is not a matter of vindictiveness, of getting even with the sinner for what he or she may have done to us or to others. It is not a matter of exercising moral superiority, of looking down on our brother or sister from the mountaintop of our own righteousness. Fraternal correction is rather a matter of sharing the goodness of God, of extending God's love to those who have allowed themselves to wander from His care.

These two readings teach us that we have interlocking responsibilities for one another, that we are all watchmen, that we are all agents of God's care for His human creatures, and that, in helping our brothers and sisters address their sinfulness, we are sharing God's love for them.

Some people seem to enjoy correcting others. Most of us find it a task that we would sooner avoid. The reason is that being a watchman is not pleasant when what we have to announce is painful. But painful news can sometimes prove to be saving news.

For reflection and discussion

Have I ever tried to dissuade someone from wrongdoing?

Has anyone ever tried to dissuade me from wrongdoing?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk The prophetic watchman Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Ezekiel 33:7-9 The prophet Ezekiel seems to have spent his whole prophetic career among the exiles in Babylon between 593 and 571 B.C. He was a member of a priestly family, apparently of some prominence. This may explain why he was carried into exile when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians for the first time in 597 B.C. His prophetic calling came soon after that. He would learn from afar of the final destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. and would help his countrymen in exile understand what it meant to be God's people now that the homeland seemed to be definitively destroyed. This Sunday's reading is from a section of Ezekiel which is intended to offer hope and encouragement to the exiles to help them from falling into desperation. It is designed to lead the Israelites to a knowledge of God's readiness to forgive them and, eventually, to bring them back to a new kind of life. Our reading begins with God addressing the prophet: "You, son of man . . ." This phrase seems to be God's preferred way of addressing Ezekiel. It occurs some 96 times in this book of the Bible. It is God's term for "human being" and seems to indicate a creature fully absorbed by its humanity while being totally separated from the divine. One is inclined to suggest that it stands for something like "tiny product of my omnipotence." God loves human beings, but God is no less infinitely distant from them for that reason. ("Son of man" would be Jesus' preferred way of referring to himself. The phrase occurs in His mouth 78 times in the Gospels. Scholars have speculated about the theological significance of the phrase, but the only thing they can agree on seems to be that, at very least, the phrase stands for the first person pronoun "I" or "me.") Our Ezekiel passage goes on to describe this son of man's prophetic responsibility: he is a watchman, deputed to look after the safety and well-being of his countrymen, to warn them of impending danger. He is charged with forwarding God's message to those to whom it is addressed. If God wants to warn a sinner to change his ways, the prophetic watchman is charged with delivering the message. If he does not deliver the message and the sinner dies in his sins, the prophet will share the responsibility for the sinner's destruction. If, on the other hand, he does deliver the message, but the sinner rejects it, the sinner alone will be responsible for his fate. This reading has been chosen to harmonize with the first part of this Sunday's Gospel reading (Matthew 18:15-20). Both are concerned with fraternal correction, with dealing with the sinfulness of the brothers and sisters who surround us. The first thing that these two readings teach us is that human beings have responsibility for each other's well-being. In the case of Ezekiel, it seems that only some are chosen to exercise the mission of looking out for the sinner's well-being. Not everybody is a watchman. In the Gospel reading, on the other hand, it seems that our brothers (or sisters) have a claim on our concern for their sinfulness simply because they are brothers or sisters. Moreover, this concern is not just between two individuals. It includes other "witnesses" and then the whole assembly of the faithful. We all share responsibility for dealing with the sins of those around us. But we need to be clear about what fraternal correction entails. It is not a matter of vindictiveness, of getting even with the sinner for what he or she may have done to us or to others. It is not a matter of exercising moral superiority, of looking down on our brother or sister from the mountaintop of our own righteousness. Fraternal correction is rather a matter of sharing the goodness of God, of extending God's love to those who have allowed themselves to wander from His care. These two readings teach us that we have interlocking responsibilities for one another, that we are all watchmen, that we are all agents of God's care for His human creatures, and that, in helping our brothers and sisters address their sinfulness, we are sharing God's love for them. Some people seem to enjoy correcting others. Most of us find it a task that we would sooner avoid. The reason is that being a watchman is not pleasant when what we have to announce is painful. But painful news can sometimes prove to be saving news. For reflection and discussion** Have I ever tried to dissuade someone from wrongdoing? Has anyone ever tried to dissuade me from wrongdoing?

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