October 26
Ezekiel 18:1-32

May we love and serve one another on our journey of faith together.

Ezekiel was a priest who wrote prophetically while in exile in Babylon. The text from Ezekiel 18:1-32 is a call for individual responsibility. It refutes the idea that the sins of the parents are visited on the children. Thus, children cannot blame their ancestors for that for which they themselves are responsible. Yet it is common in life to blame our parents or others for our problems or circumstances.

 The prophet quotes a  proverb concerning the land of Israel: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”  (18:2) But according to Ezekiel: “As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no longer be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.” (18:3) This certainly is true. We are responsible for our own acts.

However, these acts have consequences. We have learned that alcoholism and drug addiction can run in families. We also know that domestic violence and sexual abuse can pass from generation to generation. We have accepted the disease model for addiction. But while addiction usually cannot be overcome by willpower alone, we still must take responsibility for getting help for the disease through Alcoholics Anonymous or some other substance abuse program.

 I remember my Ethics professor in seminary saying that when you discover that the vast majority of those in prison for violent crimes were themselves abused or victims of violence, it becomes harder to avoid being more deterministic, and easier to question “free will” in these circumstances. Nevertheless, people still are accountable for the consequences of their acts, even as we seek to break the cycle by helping victims of violence or abuse with therapeutic and other resources.

 As people of faith, we worship a God of love who can help us overcome that which holds us in bondage in life. God loves all of us and knows the hurts and sorrows we have endured and called us to transformed lives through grace. May we love and serve one another on our journey of faith together.