The angel brought me, Ezekiel, back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the right side. Then when he had walked off to the east with a measuring cord in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubit sand had me wade through the water, was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand and once more had me wade through the water, which was now knee-deep. Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade; the water was up to my waist. Once more he measured off a thousand, but there was now a river through which I could not wade; for the water had risen so high it had become a river that could not be crossed except by swimming. He asked me, "Have you seen this, son of man?" Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit. Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides. He said to me, "This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."
REFLECTION
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."
We grew peach trees when we lived on a few acres. They need a lot of care in order to bear fruit. They need a sunny location, soil that has good drainage, nitrogen fertilizer, and most important the right amount of water. Watering the tree can be tricky, one inch of water per week is the most it needs.
In Ezekiel's account, the fruit trees that grew on either side of the river flowing from the sanctuary were fruitful all year. They produced fruit that was used for food and the leaves were used to produce medicines. The water itself was key to the thriving fruit trees. What is in the water? Or was where the water came from the question to ask?
The sanctuary is the river's source and the sanctuary is where the sacrifice is performed. The water flowing from it gives life to everything growing near it and in it. The message that Ezekiel is giving the people is hope that God will give them life through the pure waters that the Messiah will bring.
Lent is a time of repentance, inner reflection, and remembering. We need to repent from our sins, reflect on the life of Jesus, our Savior, and remember the promises we made at our Baptism.
Let us pray to the Holy Spirit for His guidance during the rest of this Lenten season.
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