FRIDAY, TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Pope Pius X
Ez 37: 1-14 Ps 107: 2-9 Mt 22: 34-40
SPIRIT’S LIFE REVEALED IN LOVE
The first reading from Ezekiel and the Gospel from Matthew though appear different, speak of the same reality: God bringing life where hope has died. In Ezekiel, the prophet is taken into a valley filled with dry bones. These bones represent the people of Israel in exile. They feel abandoned and defeated. Their cry is, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost.” They are physically alive but spiritually dead. God asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel trusted the Lord, though he knew humanly that it was an impossibility. As he prophesies, the bones come together, flesh covers them, and finally God’s Spirit, His breath, enters them. What was dead becomes alive. God promises: “I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.” In the Gospel, a lawyer asks Jesus, about the greatest commandment. Jesus speaks of the very purpose of God’s creation: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.”
How are these readings connected? Because the valley of dry bones is what happens when love disappears. We may have religion, rituals, traditions, and rules, but without love, they become lifeless bones. Love is the breath of God’s Spirit in our lives. When we stop loving God through prayer and trust, our faith becomes dry. When we stop loving our neighbour through kindness, forgiveness, and service, our hearts become cold. We may look alive outwardly, but inwardly we become like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s valley. But even in our dryness, God never abandons us! He continues to breathe His Spirit into us. He revives our faith, heals our wounds, and teaches us to love again.
Today, the Lord asks each of us: “Can these bones live?” His answer is yes. Through His Word, His Spirit, and His Eucharistic presence, He raises us up and gives us new life. May we allow God’s Spirit to fill us so that we may no longer be dry bones, but a living people who reflect the very love of Christ.
Response: O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his mercy endures forever!
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