Dry Bones
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Ezekiel 37:9-10
Then he said to me: Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe into these slain that they may live. I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, breathe on whatever in us has grown dry and dead. Let your Spirit move across the valley of our discouragements and raise what we had given up on.
Reflection
The valley of dry bones is one of the most dramatic visions in all of Scripture, and it is given to us on the eve of Pentecost for a reason.
The bones are very dry. This detail matters. They are not merely dead; they are long dead, bleached and scattered, the kind of death that seems to have left nothing recoverable. And into this vision, the LORD asks Ezekiel: Can these bones live?
It is a question addressed to us as well. What in your life — what vocation, what relationship, what hope, what aspect of your faith — has become dry bones? What seemed so full of life once and now lies scattered and bleached in some valley of your soul?
Ezekiel’s honest answer: ‘Lord GOD, you alone know.’ This is the right response to impossible situations. Not denial — the bones are genuinely dry. Not despair — the LORD is genuinely present. But humble, faithful not-knowing: you alone know what is possible here.
And then the command: Prophesy to the bones. Speak the word of the LORD into the dead place. And then: Prophesy to the breath. Call the four winds — the Spirit — into the valley.
The vision unfolds in two movements: the bones come together before the breath arrives. The structure precedes the life. But it is the breath, the ruach, the Spirit, that finally turns the assembled structure into a living army.
Sunday is Pentecost. Tonight, name the dry bones honestly. And prophesy over them. The Spirit will come for what the Spirit comes for — dead things, waiting places, tombs, and valleys.
She always does.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post