Replies

From: Ezekiel 24:15-23

Death of Ezekiel’s wife

[15] Also the word of the Lord came to me: [16] Son of man, behold, I am about
to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not
mourn or weep nor shall your tears run down. [17] Sigh, but not aloud; make no
mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do
not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of mourners.” [18] So I spoke to the people
in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I
was commanded.

[19] And the people said to me. “Will you not tell us what these things mean
for us, that you are acting thus?” [20] Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord
came to me: [21] ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I
will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and
the desire of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind
shall fall by the sword. [22] And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover
your lips, nor eat the bread of mourners. [23] Your turbans shall be on your
heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall
pine away in your iniquities and groan to one another.

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Commentary:

24:15-27. The first part of the book ends here with this moving passage revealing
the prophet’s feelings about the death of his wife. All this — the sudden death of
his wife, the fact that he does not publicly mourn her, his profound, silent grief
— is the supreme symbol of what the siege of Jerusalem involved. Ezekiel’s wife
must have been still quite young, “the delight of your eyes” (v. 16; cf. Lam 2:4),
and she must have died suddenly. She is a symbol of the temple, of which the
people were so proud; no one could have imagined it would he destroyed. Mour-
ning was a function of the person’s social status and the regard in which he or
she was held (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 3:31; 14:2; 15:30, 32), but even the humblest in so-
ciety would put on a veil and wear that sign of mourning at funeral meals, at the
“bread of mourners” (v. 17). However, Ezekiel was not to weep for his wife; nor
should the exiles show any public sign of grief; this would show that the misfor-
tunes that befell Jerusalem were a private affair between themselves and God.

The mention of the prophet’s name (v. 24), which has not appeared since the ti-
tle of the book (1:3), gives these verses the stamp of his authority. The same is
true of vv. 25-27 which tell the prophet that on the very day of his wife’s death the
fugitive will arrive reporting the destruction of Jerusalem, and Ezekiel will recover
his power of speech (cf. 3:25-27 and 33:21-22).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 19:16-22

The Rich Young Man

[16] And behold, one man came up to Him (Jesus), saying, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do, to have eternal life?” [17] And He said to him, “Why do you ask
Me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep
the commandments.” [18] He said to Him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall
not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear
false witness, [19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neigh-
bor as yourself.” [20] The young man said to Him, “All these I have observed;
what do I still lack?” [21] Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell
what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven;
and come, follow Me.” [22] When the young man heard this he went away sor-
rowful; for he had great possessions.

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Commentary:

17. The Vulgate and other translations, supported by a good many Greek codi-
ces, fill this verse out by saying, “One alone is good, God.”

20-22. “What do I still lack?” The young man kept the commandments that were
necessary for salvation. But there is more. This is why our Lord replies, “if you
would be perfect...” that is to say, if you want to acquire what is still lacking to
you. Jesus is giving him an additional calling, “Come, follow Me”: He is showing
that He wants him to follow Him more closely, and therefore He requires, as He
does others (cf. Matthew 4:19-22), to give up anything that might hinder his full
dedication to the Kingdom of God.

The scene ends rather pathetically: the young man goes away sad. His attach-
ment to his property prevails over Jesus’ affectionate invitation. Here is sadness
of the kind that stems from cowardice, from failure to respond to God’s calling
with personal commitment.

In reporting this episode, the evangelists are actually giving us a case study
which describes a situation and formulates a law, a case study of specific divine
vocation to devote oneself to God’s service and the service of all men.

This young man has become a symbol of the kind of Christian whose mediocrity
and shortsightedness prevent him from turning his life into a generous, fruitful
self-giving to the service of God and neighbor.

What would this young man have become, had he been generous enough to res-
pond to God’s call? A great apostle, surely.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.