Reading of the Word of God

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Ezekiel 47,1-9.12

He brought me back to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream flowed eastwards from under the Temple threshold, for the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. The man went off to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross. He then said, 'Do you see, son of man?' He then took me and brought me back to the bank on the river. Now, when I reached it, I saw an enormous number of trees on each bank of the river. He said, 'This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.'

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Through this vision of the prophet Ezekiel, the Word of God shows us the destination towards which we are going, the dream the Lord has for us. Before our eyes appear Jerusalem and the temple. The vision is evocative: water flows abundantly from the temple and flows to revive whatever it encounters. The image refers to the inauguration of new times in which the prosperity of the people will be intimately connected to the one source of true life. In biblical language, the water which flows and irrigates the dry land transforming it into a flourishing garden is the symbol of the power of God who transforms the dryness of people's hearts. This power not only makes them able to welcome the very dream of God but also to become its active servants. In the Gospel of John, Jesus shows himself to be the true temple from which the living water of the Spirit flows: "While Jesus was standing there, he cried out, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn 7:38). And then the evangelist notes: "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out" (Jn 19:34). As we near Easter, the prophet's passage calls us not to distance ourselves from the source of the Word of God especially during these days so to be able to understand and welcome more readily in our hearts the mystery of love that we celebrate during Holy Week. In these days a river of water will be poured onto us and for the world.