Friday of the
First Week of Lent
(Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26)
The elderly couple just lost their middle-age son. Although they were deeply caring parents, they
were not emotionally distraught. When
asked how they felt, they responded that they were at peace because their son
had just returned to the sacraments after a long absence. They were just grateful that God called him
home in the state of grace. Certainly
the couple’s faith reflects Ezekiel’s oracle of today’s first reading.
The passage manifests the working of divine justice. It describes God’s mercy obliterating one’s
past sins upon repentance. Discomforting
to many, however, it goes on to damn the person who leaves the virtuous path. The prophecy seems too rigid as it implies
that a single indiscretion can obliterate a lifelong pursuit of
virtue. In fact, the passage considers
this question but then dismisses it. It
implies that the person was not pursuing good for God’s sake but to achieve earthly
reward. God wants people to do what is
right in response to his love.
The reading provides a sobering lesson for us. We must not only do the right thing but do it
for the right reason. When we act out of
love for God, we assure ourselves of His blessing.
