Matthew 19:13-15

Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32

Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

Matthew 19:13-15

Children were brought to Jesus

that he might lay his hands on them and pray.

The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;

for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to understand the deep causes of my sinful choices. Enlighten my mind to see when and how I choose myself, when and how I am tempted to pride, and how the disordered love of pleasure and material things destroys my relationships with you and with others.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Correcting the People’s Understanding of Sin: In the First Reading, God questions the prophet Ezekiel about a common proverb in Israel: Because the parents have eaten green and sour grapes, their children’s teeth are set on edge and are irritated. The proverb means that children suffer due to the sins of their parents. God tells Ezekiel that this proverb is not to be repeated in Israel: for the righteous and virtuous will live; those who sin will be punished and die. The Lord delights not in the death, but in the life of his people, and the way to life consists in fidelity to God’s commandments (Ezekiel 18:5-9). Ezekiel teaches the people that the sinner is responsible for his own fate: “A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own” (Ezekiel 18:20). As God’s prophet, Ezekiel calls sinners to repentance, fulfills his prophetic mission, and holds each person responsible for their own actions.

2. Repentance from Sin: Understanding the relation between personal responsibility, sin, and punishment also corrects the mistaken view of the people of Israel who think that they suffer in exile only because they are victims of history – because their parent, forefathers, and ancestors sinned while they are guiltless. “They believed they were not responsible but rather were victims. Ezekiel challenges this erroneous mindset and argues that each person bears responsibility for his or her own conduct” (Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, 295). Ezekiel teaches that each generation can break with the past and begin a new life in conformity with God’s law. This opens to Israel the way to hope. Another reason for hope is the possibility of repentance. “Repentance brings freedom because puts an end to the influence of the past and opens one's life to the future that God will form. In repentance, one takes on a new heart and a new spirit (18:30-32)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 312). Those who turn from evil to good will escape judgment for their past deeds; the righteous who turn from good to evil, however, will be punished. “A person’s fate depends not on past actions but on present choices and conduct. This means that repentance is always possible, but so, too, is backsliding” (Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, 295). Ezekiel teaches that “Even when the nation as a whole is in decline and being punished, God will not overlook repentance in individuals, even when the temporal consequences of others’ sins affect them in the form of famine or conquest. One’s past righteousness will not avail once one has turned from it to wickedness, but one’s past crimes will not block God’s mercy when one repents, even if natural or necessary consequences for in remain” (Prothro, The Bible and Reconciliation, 65-66).

3. The Path of Humility: In the Gospel, Jesus continues to teach about the way of humility that leads to life. Earlier, he said to the people: “Unless you turn and become like children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). The Kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit, to those who mourn, to the meek, to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, to the merciful, to the pure in heart, to the peacemakers, to those who are persecuted for the sake of justice. The humble are those who can shoulder their cross with Christ. The simple are those who can love without reserve. The childlike are those who allow themselves to be loved and guided by God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me the path of humble repentance and childlike simplicity. Guide me by the hand as I walk along this path with you. I want to learn from you, imitate you, and share in your life.

Living the Word of God: What habitual sins do I struggle do I struggle to overcome? What are my dominant tendencies? How do they influence the way I am tempted? What successes, empowered by God’s merciful grace, in overcoming sin have I had? Have I thanked God for these victories and am I strategically plotting out how to overcome sin and temptation in the future?