Memory of Jesus crucified

Reading of the Word of God

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Ezekiel 18,21-28

'If the wicked, however, renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and upright, he will most certainly live; he will not die. None of the crimes he committed will be remembered against him from then on; he will most certainly live because of his upright actions. Would I take pleasure in the death of the wicked -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live? 'But if the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong by copying all the loathsome practices of the wicked, is he to live? All his upright actions will be forgotten from then on; for the infidelity of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, he will most certainly die. 'Now, you say, "What the Lord does is unjust." Now listen, House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrong which he himself has done. Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law-abiding and upright, he saves his own life. Having chosen to renounce all his previous crimes, he will most certainly live: he will not die.

 

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

"Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?" This question reported by Ezekiel expresses a very common mentality even today, when a person is judged for his or her family of origin or for some evil committed by others. And often such judgment becomes a condemnation that marks a person for life. The word of the prophet asserts instead with extreme clarity that the responsibility before good and evil is always personal. No one is wicked for the evil committed by family, acquaintances or any other. The prophet highlights God's great mercy that allows everyone to change and convert. No one is condemned to remain a prisoner of their condition. God's mercy knows no impossible, it has no boundaries. The Lord is always ready to forgive. But it is indispensable that the one who has sinned recognises the evil done. Indeed, it is good for human beings to be aware of the self-centred instincts that dwell in their hearts and to turn to God for help not to deviate from His law. All believers must watch over themselves: every day we are called to choose between good and evil. Each believer every day must take on the responsibility before God of his or her actions and choices. God is always ready to forgive, but God asks each of us to be responsible for what we do.