Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.)
The whole of this chapter concerns the Lord’s marriage to Israel. With many descriptive ways, Ezekiel shows how the people have been unfaithful to their spouse, God. God is innocent of causing the divorce. God’s reaction to the infidelity of the people is to establish, or reestablish, the covenant with the people. The prophecy of Ezekiel is that God will always remain faithful to the covenant, no matter how badly we misbehave towards it.
In the context of Ezekiel’s lifetime, the people were in exile and their nation was ruined by wars and deportation, The message called those in exile to conversion and to sharing once again in covenant God had made with them ages ago. Conversion was possible and would happen.
In the context of our lives, Ezekiel calls us to reflect on our relationship with God and how we can improve on this relationship. He uses the image of God as spouse with the people as God’s wife. He declares that our sins of going after false gods is like adultery and prostitution. He is not saying that adultery and prostitution are the only sins in the book of sins, just as adultery and prostitution break marriage relationships, so too does sin deeply affect our relationship with God. To deepen our relationship with God, we have to un-deepen our relationship to sin and selfishness.
The relationships we forge in this life, relationships with other people, with pets, or with other things give us inklings into the relationship God wants with each of us.