Personal Responsibility and Divine Mercy
August 17, 2024 - Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32
In the Book of Exodus, we hear about God "visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation" (Exodus 34:7). This principle was turned into a proverb: "Fathers have eaten green grapes, thus their children’s teeth are on edge" (Ezekiel 18:2). This principle of transgenerational responsibility gave the Jewish exiles in Babylon an excuse to blame their fathers and forefathers for the disaster that befell them. They did not want to acknowledge their own responsibility.
In a daring move, Ezekiel nullifies Moses' principle of transgenerational responsibility and sets before us the principle of individual responsibility: "only the one who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). The same principle was declared to the people of Israel in Jerusalem by Jeremiah: "everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge" (Jeremiah 31:30). Thus, everyone should take responsibility for the disaster that befell Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Unfortunately, as we turn to our present times, many of us are like the Judeans of Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's time. We blame everyone for everything bad that happens in the world, society, and our lives, except ourselves. In today's world, everyone is a victim of something, including the perpetrators of crimes. But unless we take responsibility for our choices and acknowledge that we have sinned, there is no way out of the chaos that we find ourselves in. That is also the first step to making ourselves a new heart and a new spirit (see Ezekiel 18:31).
"I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord GOD. Return and live!" (Ezekiel 18:32). In the book of Jonah, we read about God’s decision to destroy the city of Nineveh because of its wickedness. When the people heard that message, they humbled themselves before God and pleaded with Him for mercy. And God did so: "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened" (Jonah 3:10).
There is no greater dimension of our God than His mercy. This is beautifully portrayed in the Book of Psalms: "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." What are God’s benefits? (1) He forgives all your sins; (2) heals all your diseases; (3) redeems your life from the pit; (4) crowns you with love and compassion; (5) satisfies your desires with good things; (6) your youth is renewed like the eagle’s; (7) works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed (Psalm 103).
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. He has shown the compassion of God in His life. Why were the tax collectors and sinners so attracted to the message of the kingdom? Because God was calling them to come back, overlooking their offenses.
God does not take pleasure in the death of anyone. Everyone, even the worst sinner, is precious in God’s eyes. God is all for us. He can take us out of any situation. He wants us to be alive. Yet in order to live, we must repent.