Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 16, 2014 - Saturday in the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
[Ezek 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32 and Matt 19:13-15]For all lives are mine: the liife of the father is like the life of the son, both are mine; only the one who sins shall die. [Ezek]
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2014 SATURDAY IN THE NINETEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
[Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32 and Matthew 19:13-15]
For all lives are mine; the life of the father is like the life of the son, both are mine; only the one who sins shall die. [Ezek]
We do not have the notion of collective guilt that Ezekiel speaks of, although we sometimes speak of the sins of parents being punished in the children! As it is, Ezekiel is rejecting the idea which was common in his time. The exiles in Babylonia might have believed that they were paying for the sins of their parents.Ezekiel assures them that this was not the case. Each person had to take responsibility for his or her own life. At the same time, Ezekiel warns us elsewhere that we do have a responsibility for one another and should warn "sinners" of the danger they were incurring. If we fail to do so, we could indeed be responsible in some way for the loss!
Nevertheless, the proverb that Ezekiel quotes is one that kids everywhere might claim to be true! If mom and dad are having a "bad day" the kids might suffer! Perhaps Ezekiel's quote might ring a bell somewhere in us to remind us not to visit our problems on someone else in a negative way! AMEN
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