Reflection on Ezekiel 33:7-9

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Sunday, September 6, 2020

In the biblical world, a watchman or sentinel is someone who stands on the wall and blows his trumpet to warn the people of impending danger, especially in times of war. In this passage (Ezekiel 33:7-9), God appoints Ezekiel as the watchman for the house of Israel. His assignment is to warn God’s people—Israel, that unless they desist from their evil ways, the Babylonians will destroy their land. Of course, Ezekiel did warn Israel. He did deliver God’s message, unfortunately, Israel and Judah did not listen. They refused to acknowledge their sins, turn away from them, repent and begin again to obey God’s law. Consequently, they lost their country and were taken into exile in Babylon. But God is not through with his people yet. Through his servant, Ezekiel, God is repeating the warning that if they do not change, they are in danger of being cut off from him. God is also warning Ezekiel, the watchman of the house of Israel that if he does not warn and persuade the wicked to turn away from their wicked ways, the wicked shall die for their guilt, but the prophet will be held accountable for their death. The vocation of the watchman is to communicate the Lord’s will powerfully and convincingly so as to trigger a radical change of life and lifestyle in the people. The watchman’s own salvation depends on how he carries out his vocation of calling the people back to God.  

Sisters and brothers, you all will agree with me that today our society has become more and more a relativistic and subjectivistic one where each person makes up their own reality and truth. Objective truth is hardly believed or considered. Today, we seem to be building a dictatorship of relativism that does not acknowledge objective truth. Conspiracy theories, misleading statements, half-truths and outright lies are welcomed and cheered over indisputable truths even by religious people. The problem with this culture is that it creates a chaotic and confusing environment, making it very difficult for people to hear the warning message of the watchman of the household of God. Of course once God’s message is pushed out, enough room is made for aggressive forms of secularism, combative sound of politics with no morals, voices of cynicism, drumbeat of fear etc to take the center stage and rule the lives of many. As such, the fastest-growing category in polls of religious affiliations is the “nones.” Today, there are far more ex-Catholics than Catholics in the country. Obviously, there are other reasons why this is the case, but one reason we should not ignore is the drowning out of the voice and message of the watchman.  

Sisters and brothers, God is calling and inviting us to pay attention to his message. His message has been sounded out by the prophets; his message has been preached and demonstrated by his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father has even urged us to listen to what his Son has to say (Mt. 17:5b). His Son continues to speak to us through the magisterium of the Church, through the sacraments and through the Scripture. How much attention do we pay to God’s word? If we listen and obey, God says we shall not die, but live. We will live, thrive and flourish and not just exist.