1st Reading – Ezekiel 2:2-5

As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
and set me on my feet,
and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD!
And whether they heed or resist — for they are a rebellious house —
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

In today’s first reading, God empowers the prophet Ezekiel with the Spirit and sends him to speak to the rebellious people of Israel.

Ezekiel was among the Israelites taken into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 597 BC, during the first of three deportations that marked the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. It was there that Ezekiel received his commission, making him the first prophet to receive his calling outside of the Holy Land.

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