Ezekiel’s passage puts us in a context after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian empire in the 500s BCE and deeply entwines the realities of displacement and grief. Neighborhoods and cities have been made inaccessible to their own people: familiarity destroyed at the cost of displacement. Ezekiel calls those who remain in Jerusalem to protest the injustice in the city and condemns those who stand in complacency or support of the destruction. 

As a reader, we reflect on this passage within our own contexts, challenged to realize grief amongst the rubble and reframe grief into action in solidarity with our kin. Further, we are called to intervene: “I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel.” We must understand our duty to care for others and create understanding of displacement and destruction. It takes great courage to stand against a person whom we disagree with or who has hurt someone we love. Looking to theologian Catherine Keller in Passion in Process, we can see how this passage encourages us to “risk our best possible answer to the scary stranger… the immoral society, regardless of whether or when others will give back [love]” (97). By this practice, we find ourselves permeated by love, and driven by the desire to hold space for realities of demolition and suffering, and refute passivity and complacency.

The responsorial psalm pays homage to the enthronement and praise of God as a trustworthy and loving leader who will deliver us into salvation. This framing poses God as an example for how we ought to live: by giving thanks, exuding joy, loving others with open hearts and open minds. It supports that we must be available to all people so we may share in love with them. “Hearing God’s voice” is a metaphor for service. When we experience the needs of others, we “hear” God’s voice (which I may venture to say is more of a feeling or experience). “Hearing,” or experiencing, manifests in many ways; choose what is suitable and available to you. Although we are tempted, and may find it easier, to ignore the tragedies of today’s readings and Gospel (demolition, suffering, and mistreatment), God asks us to approach difference and pain with an open heart so we may embody God’s love and teaching.

Paul’s address in this passage is a testimony to autonomy and respect for ourselves and others. As Paul says: “you owe nothing to anyone…” except, he notes, Love. One might ponder “why love?” Mosaic law teaches the way we act must not only dignify ourselves, but those whom we interact with. Catholic tradition teaches a prosperous community is formed when Creation is protected. The foundation of a proper community must be love, for it is the greatest commandment and driving force for reconciliation, dignity, solidarity, care, and valuation of life. Catherine Keller writes when we theologize the power of love, we must understand acting in love is elemental to purpose and community (95). Loving, even in the most uncertain of circumstances, is a certain kind of power each of us holds, lest not be mistaken for control, but power, nonetheless (95-100).

The Gospel shows devotion to a communal perspective by teaching mutual accountability and witness. If one “sins against you, go and tell them their fault… if he does not listen, take others along with you.” Because of the communal perspective, it is crucial we focus on the responsibility of the “other.” As a witness in another’s life, it is our duty to help mend relationships, if we have the capacity to. Our vocation, as witnesses and characters in each other’s lives, is to care for our kin in order that we all may share in the Kingdom of God. Not only is the witness in solidarity with the one who has experienced destruction or harm, they also bear witness to the colloquy. Here Keller reminds us that “the attitude toward our fellow creatures is the test and trail of our attitude toward the source of all creatures” (98). Let us be cognizant of the Catholic teachings of dignity, solidarity, and valuation of life, even in precarious situations. The Imago Dei, or image of God is omnipresent in every person. Without the recognition of God in all things and in all people, we find ourselves slipping into loveless habits, violating Creation. 

Catherine Keller is an American theologian whose work centers around social and ecological justice, and poses an interdisciplinary approach to the field of theology. She advocates for “a life together, across vast webs of difference.” She currently teaches at Drew Theological Seminary and has written over five books.

Take just a moment from your day to think of a time when you may have hurt another person. Bring yourself back to that situation and contemplate the words or actions used, the feelings you embodied in that moment, the way you physically felt, and try to name the hurt that caused you to lash out. Peer inward and try to touch that feeling. Perhaps the hurt remains. If it is available to you, and when you feel ready, materialize this scenario: write it down or verbalize it.

Is this scenario something you feel comfortable mending? Is there another person you are able to express these feelings with? It is important that we consider the way we impact others, if we want to be in real community. Holding ourselves accountable can be difficult, and it can be even more difficult to admit when we have done wrong. It takes meticulous work and care, but in order to give others the respect they deserve and to dignify others in our interactions with them, it is necessary. 

A particularly important figure in the movement against destruction, and creator of community, is Dorothy Day. 

Day is known for her peaceful and effective activism and for co-founding The Catholic Worker movement. Her aim was to transform individuals and society in order to emulate the peace, care, and love that each individual deserves. She was a radical activist who detested the reality of poverty. She opened “houses of hospitality” to those who needed a meal and a place to stay, usually those who were unwanted by other charitable organizations, and was known to oppose “racial segregation, nuclear warfare, the draft, and armed conflict around the world…” (Source).

She held systems of destruction accountable, being arrested multiple times for demonstrating against the United States government, and even landed on J. Edgar Hoover’s “watch list.” 

She held the strong belief that the most detestable people were the reflection of Christ and ought to be treated as such. Pope Francis, when addressing the United States Congress in 2015 noted, “her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.” Because of her impact and hard work, Dorothy Day has received posthumous recognitions in academia, music, and film.

The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA) is an organization that is rooted in accountability and transformative justice. Transformative justice ensures violence is addressed without creating more violence, or supporting already-existing systems of violence, and serves as a way to mediate and destroy harm that is inflicted on individuals. It has the ability to increase one’s ability to embody relationality in communities of similar circumstance, as well as those of diverse experience. 

NYSCASA cultivates “healing, accountability, resilience, and safety for all involved.” They ensure communal accountability by committing to continuous development in communities, providing safety and support to those who have been targeted, creating and affirming practices that halt violence, and create sustainable practices that address harmful behavior. These practices can be applied to a diverse range of scenarios. By implementing these practices, communities will be able to break systems of harm and hold each other accountable by building a framework inspired by love and care. 

See: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/nurturing-and-caring-leon-zernitsky.html

Image description: Against a background that consists of orange, yellow, and green brushstrokes, A sketched figure stands to the right of a tree watering it out of a watering can. The tree is sketched in black, and rises up into a face figure with leaves inside and around it.