After two days of reading from the historical component of the Book of Ezra, we have reached the section of the book which is called “Ezra’s Memoirs.” Today we hear him at prayer, a prayer that was occasioned by what he found when he and his caravan had actually returned to Jerusalem.
The original covenant made with God at Sinai had stipulated that the Israelites were absolutely forbidden to intermarry with the native people of Canaan. When the young and influential people of Israel were led off to Babylon by the Assyrian invaders, the elderly, sick and weak individuals were left behind. Their captors saw no benefit in bringing them along so they were left behind. They were in a perilous situation. Without some help from someone, they would have perished. Consequently, they found wives and husbands among their pagan neighbors. What Ezra found when he returned was a people of mixed heritage. This is the circumstance that occasioned the prayer we hear today.
Ezra was a member of the tribe of Levi, a priest of the Temple. In his capacity as the leader of worship, he was also the enforcer of the covenant. The proposal was made and accepted that all the Israelites who had taken foreign wives should put them aside and separate themselves from them. Most of them agreed to the proposal. A few did not. Sadly, this was what eventually caused the split between the Israelites and the group that we have come to know as the Samaritans.
It is not for us to sit in judgment of this decision. Rather, we can see in it two inescapable facts. First, the Israelites were still heavily influenced by the “theology of reciprocity.” Because they felt that God would simply bring another form of punishment on them for their transgressions, they agreed that a legalistic reading of the covenant was the only way forward. Second, although the decision seems harsh, it is obvious that they were intent on returning to God and God’s Law without gloss. Ezra becomes known, therefore, as the second giver of the Law.
Notice, however, that in his prayer, he is especially aware of God’s mercy toward Israel. In his role as the second giver of the Law, second after Moses, Ezra shows us that he is one of the many who prepared Israel to accept the mercy of God as proclaimed by Jesus. While we may not approve of the way in which they solved this dilemma, we must acknowledge that their intention was to be loyal to what they regarded as a right relationship with God.
We have the benefit of the teachings of Jesus and the example of what has become known as the remnant of Israel. There is no need to separate ourselves from others as long as we remain faithful to our covenant with the Lord, the covenant we celebrate in our Eucharist.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator