Ezekiel brings forth the message of the Lord
this afternoon as we near the end of this first full week of Lent. Ezekiel tells us that the Lord does not delight
when a wicked man stays in his wickedness and earns punishment; rather, the
Lord delights when the wicked man turns his back on his evil ways and has a change
of heart. The Lord delights in the conversion of the
sinner. There is a prayer called the Jesus prayer that
states: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” It is a prayer that is very popular in the
Eastern Orthodox Church, and also is widespread in Western Catholicism. It is believed that this prayer has its
origins with the Desert Fathers in the Egyptian desert in the 5th
century. It has become popular in Western Christianity and in different Protestant denominations in the 20th century. This short little prayer so succinctly says what so many Christians feel in their humble heart, how they place their sins before Jesus's mercy.
We hear this message from the prophet Ezekiel during
the first week of Lent because Lent is all about changing our ways and turning
back to God. It is hard to break old habits and to reform our
lives. It is hard to break out of the chains of
addictions, out of our laziness and complacency. But that is what the Lord is calling us to do –
to repent from our sins. And he will rejoice when we are able to do
so.
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