19th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 14thAugust 2024 – Ezekiel 9,1-7; 10,18-22; Mt 18,15-20
Absence of God’s Glory
Today’s first reading from the book of Ezekiel has two parts: Slaughter of idolaters (ch.9) and God’s glory leaves the Temple (ch.10). Both in using symbolic language and apocalyptic style God’s punishment is made known to individuals and community. Because of the people’s sin of idolatry in the Temple, the punishment begins right at the entrance to the Temple where God’s people are, and begins with the eldest and excludes none – old men, youth and maidens, women and children. The temple is to become defiled with the corpses of people who are unclean. It does not matter because Yahweh is no longer there. In the second part, the prophet describes Yahweh leaving his sanctuary, riding as usual on the cherubim. It is a sign that even in destruction, God is to receive glory from everything that happens. God is never confined to one place. He is everywhere and we are urged to seek and find him in all things, in a pure form of worship.
