Today's first reading, Ezekiel 36: 23-28, the Lord says the following to the nation of Israel, and to us: "I will prove my holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it. Thus the nations [the world] shall know that I am the Lord God, when in [its] sight I prove my holiness through you. For I will take you away from among the nations [that are profaning my name], gather you from all the foreign lands [places in this world and peoples in this world who are profaning the name of God by evil actions against others], and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you...."
On the cross and through the cross, Jesus clothes us in righteousness and puts a robe of salvation on us. We have been brought back to God, gathered from "foreign lands" by Jesus' obedience unto death, His resurrection on Easter morning and His return to glory on the day of His Ascension into heaven! In our baptism we have been sprinkled with "clean water" and cleansed "from all [our] impurities." "A new heart and...a new spirit"--the Spirit of Jesus--has been put within us, our stony hearts turning into hearts of flesh!
In today's responsorial psalm, we pray: "A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out of your presence,and your Holy Spirit take not from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me...."
May we sincerely desire those graces and return to the Lord, to our true home, we have strayed off into "foreign lands."
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