ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET

Evensong Trinity 15, 4 September 2005

Fr Ivan Aquilina

No prophetic book poses more of a question than does Ezekiel. It combines oracles with legal reflections, prose and poetry, detailed historical descriptions, sober judgement and wild vision, long sermons with vivid presentation. This leads to a great breath of vision. It also leads to different scholarly opinions about every part of it. What is certain is that this prophet preached at the worst time in the Old Testament history but also in its most decisive time.

Today we also can say that the Church is at one of its worst moments: it is divided on churchmanship, liturgical discipline, biblical interpretation, law and order, moral issues and fundamental doctrine. However, by the grace of God, we can also say that it is one of its
most decisive moments. The whole muddle that we have in front of us seems to beckon us to stop and walk back, look at the whole picture and start weaving the rich tapestry of God's love afresh. We must understand that it is God who is the point of departure, the focus and arrival; God and not humanity itself. Departing from the human experience leads us to the dangerous and real risk of shaping a god in our own image rather than submitting ourselves to God who created us in His own image.

Our first reading sheds helpful light. We are faced with a prophet speaking about prophesy. What is the gift of prophesy and how does it fit with what we are saying?

For the Old Testament people the gift of prophesy was used to explain the Law. Until very recently, for Christians, the prophets were people who foretold the Messiah and His reign. Nowadays the agreement is that both these approaches are right, they are not mutually exclusive but they are two elements of a greater reality.

The Prophet is the one who lives in his environment to the full while having the vision and the courage to step out of it all, look at the bigger picture and in prayerful reflection glimpse what God wills in that moment for that situation. The other two roles are a result of this primary activity.

Over and over again the prophet, in taking a step back, is misunderstood as someone aloof and distant. He is also persecuted. Generally he is in the minority group.

By the nature of his calling the prophet is the one who stands apart and against the flow. What he says is uncomfortable as generally it implies a change of direction. The prophet fulfils and sanctifies his vocation by holding firm to the Will of God. His calling is to inform and enlighten his environment with the light of God not to let the dictates and fashions of the moment colour and misinterpret the Will of God.

Tonight's prophecy starts with the abolition of a proverb: The day grows long and every vision comes to naught. This proverb was the result of the impatience of the people, they were awaiting their present conditions to change but it seemed an endless day, if there was a vision it was lost and no real vision was coming forth or shaping up. It was hopeless.

The prophet engages with this situation and instructs that God has a vision; the problem is that they are not allowing themselves to perceive it. They are so immersed in the footnotes that they are not able to see the text; so taken by the frame that they can not admire the masterpiece.

Through Ezekiel God instructs his people to embark upon a process of discernment, to stop listening to self styled prophets who pursue their own vain dreams. These false prophets have shouted peace were peace was not, they have wallpapered over a cracked and dangerous wall. They have allowed their surroundings to dictate their faith. They made sinful situations appear good rather than challenge them and expose them for what they are - sin!

God will aid those immersed in His love and open to His Will. Being open to God, being ready to step back and see the whole picture are modern words equivalent to the not so popular traditional word: repentance.

This is what Ezekiel is conveying to us tonight: Repent and see what God wants!

The reading from the book of Acts sheds more light on the whole issue.

Those baptised and Confirmed in Christ, you and me included, receive the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit brings the gift of discernment, prophesy and repentance.

Our repentance will let the fresh and restorative air of the Spirit blow in, it will enable us to see the bigger picture and amend our lives, we will be faithful to and maintain, while proclaiming afresh, the teaching of the Twelve. Doing this we can take the last sentence of the second reading and add it to the chapter that we are writing in the history of the Church Catholic: "So the word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily."