The prophet Ezekiel was a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem before the Israelites were exiled to Babylon. The Temple was the setting for Ezekiel’s vision. The glory of the Lord, the revealed presence of God, had been resting in the Temple but it had departed because of the wickedness of the people. Then the Lord sent divine messengers, one of whom was to mark those who were not involved in the wickedness of that time. The wicked, those who had not been marked, were to be punished. This has a message for us today as our society ignores God. What is God calling us to do?

Jesus outlined a process for reconciliation when a member of the church sinned against another member of the church. The person was to speak with the offender alone; if he didn’t listen, then the person was to speak again with some witnesses present; if he still didn’t listen, then the person was to bring the offender to the church. This would ensure a fair opportunity to resolve the issue. If that did not bring a solution, the offender would be removed from the church. That seems harsh but Jesus was trying to bring reconciliation and forgiveness to the community.

We see a model in St Maximilian Kolbe, taking over another inmate’s place to save him and others. Reconciliation happens when selfless sacrifice is brought into the impasse relationship.