THE COMMANDMENT OF LIFE

 

ST. ROSE OF LIMA, VIRGIN

Ezek. 37:1-14; Ps 107:2-9; Mt 22:34-40

The Commandment that gives Spiritual Life

The vision of the dry bones given to the prophet Ezekiel, which we read today in the first reading, corresponds to the prophecy we considered yesterday. God’s promise to change the stony hearts of Israel to hearts of flesh translates to the same thing he showed the prophet in the Valley of Dry Bones in chapter 37. The replacement of hearts of stone with hearts of flesh in chapter 36 is given differently in the vision of dry bones. The people of Israel lay dead and corrupted because they disobeyed the will of God, as shown to the prophet. The disobedience brought their death and corruption, for the word of God is Spirit and life. Hence, to live without the word of God is to live outside the will of God, which is our bread of life. A life outside the will of God is synonymous with death and decay. So, Israel’s disobedience to the commandments of God caused their ejection from the Promised Land and scattered over all nations. Thus, the valley of bones symbolised the situation of the people of Israel scattered over the face of the earth. It also represents the situation of all souls yearning for God’s life and refreshing breath across the world. We gave this mystical or fuller sense to the prophecy of Ezekiel in yesterday’s reflection.

The fuller or mystical sense of the vision does not contradict or remove the fulfilment of the vision or prophecy in the restricted sense of Israel as a nation. But it gives a fuller meaning of God’s word intended for the whole human race. When God gave his word through the prophet, it gave flesh to the multitude of dry bones; God gave his Spirit to make them live again. “Then he said, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They keep saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope has gone; we are as good as dead.” So prophesy. Say to them, “The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel.” The dry bones represent all hearts yearning for eternal life in Israel, as among all nations. These willing souls are thirsty for the Spirit of righteous living and eternal life. The Psalmist refers to these souls the Lord redeemed from death and corruption. “Let them say this, the Lord’s redeemed, whom he redeemed from the hand of the foe and gathered from far-off lands, from east and west, north and south.” These souls desired a homeland where hunger for righteousness would be satisfied. Such a heavenly City was only possible at the incarnation of the Eternal Word of God.

The Law of the Eternal City is what our Lord Jesus Christ gave the Sadducees who wanted to know the greatest of the Commandments of God. “Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.” Thus, God gave the prophecies and prophetic visions to prepare a people who would live by these commandments of love. By these commandments, we share the life of God by communion in his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit animated St. Rose of Lima from the early years. She discovered the mystery of Christ and fell in love with the Saviour. Rose was born in Lima, Peru. She lived a life of selflessness and devotion from an early age. Though beautiful, she rejected every marriage proposal and became a Dominican tertiary at 20. She developed a strong ascetic spirituality and had mystical experiences that raised doubts among her family, friends, and Church authorities. But full of charity, she cared for the sick, the poor, Indians, and slaves. The Church venerate her as the patron saint of South America. In her writing, she teaches that pains and afflictions bone for the love of God bring abundance of divine grace for us.   

Let us pray: O God, you set St. Rose of Lima on fire with your love, so that, secluded from the world in the austerity of a life of penance, she might give herself to you alone; grant, we pray, that through her intercession, we may tread the paths of life on earth and drink at the stream of your delights in heaven.