Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray:
Everlasting Father,
All time belongs to you, and all the ages. In signs, in songs, in words of promise, you reassured your chosen ones, “I am with you; fear not.” You taught them through the prophets to trust that your saving deeds were not limited to the past.
When Jesus came, he fulfilled “all that was written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
The Church has found him everywhere in these same holy books.
Help me to find Jesus in my reading today, to listen to him, and to follow him with all my heart.
Amen.
Today's chapters are Ezekiel 35-37.
More prophecies of restoration are in today's chapters, including one that is read at the Easter Vigil because of its strong baptismal imagery and language: "I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you....give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you..." We also have the famous "dry bones" prophecy. While it was about restoring the people's lost hope and not (in the immediate context) about the resurrection of the dead, there is a vaster prophecy being invoked, one that involves the restoration not only of Jerusalem, but the return of the long-lost northern tribes, and the coming of a future, new Davidic king. In other words, we are justified in seeing an eschatological element in the prophecy.
1 comment:
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones ... when we were in 3rd and 4th grade so many years ago (actually more than half a century ago!) our teacher was a minister's wife and we had a little art project combined with singing. Sticks were cut from pinewood about 7" x 1" x 0.5" and we were allowed to paint our pair however we liked. When they were properly decorated, we learned how to hold them together to make a clacking sound, (There are several YouTube videos!) and we sang, "Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones ... " A lot of the spiritual tradition comes from stories in the Old Testament. Thanks, Sr Ann for this guidance for understanding Ezekiel.
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