1st Reading – Ezekiel 17:22-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.

The prophet Ezekiel lived during the tumultuous period when the Babylonians destroyed Judah, the southern kingdom. According to Ezekiel 1:2, he was among the exiles in Babylon, enduring the profound anguish of losing both king and country.

In our first reading, Ezekiel delivers an oracle of salvation to his fellow exiles through the allegory of a tree. In this passage, God promises to restore a new king from the house of David, bringing hope and renewal to a devastated people.

Continue reading “Jun 16, 2024: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)” →