In the first reading, Israel understood that, as God's chosen people, they shared responsibility for setting a good example to other nations. After the Temple—their national institution—was destroyed, this shared responsibility shifted toward personal responsibility. Ezekiel emphasized that children are not punished for their parents' sins; each person is accountable for his or her own choices. Everyone is free to turn away from wickedness and choose righteousness. We are judged not by the sins of our past, but by the new life we choose to live.

In the First Reading, Isaiah tells us that the Lord chose Israel and made it His vineyard. The Lord carefully prepared a fertile hillside, cleared the land, planted choice vines, and did everything necessary for the vineyard to flourish. However, the vineyard disappointed Him because it produced wild grapes instead of the good fruits He expected.

Because the Lord is kind and merciful, we are called to be kind and merciful toward one another. The first reading invites us to forgive without limits. Our forgiveness reflects the compassion of God the Father and of His Son, Jesus Christ, who established with us a new covenant—a covenant of eternal love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Fraternal Correction: Winning Our Brother and Sister Back to God

The readings this Sunday speak to us about a difficult but very necessary dimension of Christian life: fraternal correction—the responsibility we have to help one another return to the Lord when we have gone astray.