Ezekiel the Prophet

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

The first reading for today's liturgy is taken from the opening chapter of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, a pre-exilic prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures whose mission is to convince the people of Israel that they are responsible for their exile and captivity. His prophecies concern Jerusalem and the southern kingdom and come after the fall of the northern kingdom. He is a very graphic writer. His language can be very unsettling.

The first chapter of his prophecy is excerpted for today's liturgy. I would suggest that you go to your Bible and read the entire description of his vision. The four creatures of which he speaks are described in such a way as to encompass all of God's animate creatures: wild animals, domesticated livestock, birds and human beings. These four figures are later used to identify the four evangelists: Mark as a lion (wild animals), Luke as an ox (domesticated livestock), John as an eagle (birds), and Matthew as a young man (human beings). As the description continues, it becomes evident that Ezekiel is having a vision of God, a theophany.

In the course of this vision, God tells Ezekiel to go to the house of Israel and to proclaim God's word. God tells Ezekiel to use plain language which the people can understand. It will become evident as we continue to read from this prophet over the coming week that his language is graphic and unsettling. Strong language is God's last ditch effort to get the attention of the people of Israel.