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Ezekiel, Visions in the Dust

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Ezekiel is one of our more difficult of Old Testament Prophets, nearly as difficult as Jesus Christ.

As the Reverend Father Daniel Berrigan states his thesis of this excellent, relatively brief commentary from ten years ago:

"Ezekiel, gloomy partisan of doom! ( . . .) Inevitably in view of his diatribes, he is taken for a renegade by the priestly caste" (of which he is member) "-- who, noblesse oblige, much prefer that the fraternity maintain a common front (p. xii)." much as today . . .

Bascially the Reverend Father Berrigan addresses three questions:

"1. What does it mean to confront the idols?

2. What is the spiritual impact of the idols on ourselves, whose only prospect is exile, or worse -- who are actually driven forth? and

3. Have we, whether in exile or at home, submitted to an amoral assimilation, covertly or openly welcoming the idols, whether foreign or domestic?"

The Reverend Father Berrigan employs exegetical methodologies as ancient as Saint Ignatius, as new as the Catholic comunidades de base spoken of so much as hope and future for our one, holy Catholic and apostolic Church by such authoritative and South American Catholic theologians as the Reverend Father Gustavo Gutierrez (see for example his landmark Teología De La Liberacion) and Friar Leonardo Boff (see his Eclesiogenesis - Las Comunidades De Base Reinventan La Iglesia). For more on this phenomenon of Catholic ecclesiology, please see Teologia de la liberacion y comunidades cristianas de base: IV Congreso Internacional Ecumenico de Teologia, Sao Paulo, 1980 (Materiales) and El Evangelio En Solentiname (Coleccion Estructuras y Procesos).

Thus the Reverend Father Berrigan in producing this brilliant and powerful piece of lectio divina gathered a faithful Catholic base community in hermeneutic reflection and dialogue upon the many and difficult chapters of Ezekiel. Father Berrigan as a life long and honored member of the Society of Jesus, formed a synergistic powerhouse in combining this newer (yet primordial) method of collegial prayer with the guided Retreat methodology which Saint Ignatius of Loyola practiced in his Ejercicios Espirituales. The beautiful, nutritious fruit of this efficacious methodology we are blessed to receive here in this strong book of prophecy and call to repentance for each one of us today.

We feel Father Berrigan's essential identification in solidarity with the lonely and powerful prophet Ezekiel, rejected by his society, ignored by his religious, even despised, yet compelled to preach powerfully the call to the true Faith and orthopraxis. Thus, Father Berrigan finds in Ezekiel "A discredited priest amid a culture whose elders and priests are icons of power and rectitude." Thus this book calls us to cease worshipping our idols and return violently to the God of Compassionate Love and Peace with Justice, and finds the infiltration of idols where we least expect them. Read this Biblical book. Find release from the idols of this dark day. Enter the freedom of the true covenant of peace and of nonviolent, meek, humble Love. Love your enemies. Read this book. Hear the strong call of the prophet, then and now, and act upon this Holy and Righteous Word.

I had heard that The Book of Ezekiel was boring. Furthermore, I was told that he was not much of a prophet, when compared to Amos for example, because he was too priestly and apocalyptic. Well, after reading Berrigan's book, I know that this is not true.

I especially enjoyed Berrigan's poetic style; albeit, I wish that some of his words were not so arcane. Boberly's art is also very good.

Non-violent activists, if you want to know about street theater, read this book!