Today's Reading is Scary! (Until you know the rest of the story)

Ez 9:1-7; 10:18-22The LORD cried loud for me to hear: Come, you scourges of the city! With that I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate which faces the north, each with a destroying weapon in his hand. In their midst was a man dressed in linen, with a writer’s case at his waist. They entered and stood beside the bronze altar. Then he called to the man dressed in linen with the writer’s case at his waist, saying to him: Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a “Thau” on the foreheads of those who moan and groanover all the abominations that are practiced within it. To the others I heard the LORD say: Pass through the city after him and strike! Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy! Old men, youths and maidens, women and children–wipe them out! But do not touch any marked with the “Thau”; begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the men, the elders, who were in front of the temple. Defile the temple, he said to them, and fill the courts with the slain; then go out and strike in the city.Then the glory of the LORD left the threshold of the temple and rested upon the cherubim. These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth, the wheels rising along with them. They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was up above them. Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels went along with them, while up above them was the glory of the God of Israel.

Wow! This is one of those Old Testament readings that scare young children and those of little faith. But that's only because they don't understand the whole story. I must admit I didn't much care for it until I heard Father Pacwa's sermon on EWTN today. Then it seemed to make sense. It is another of those visions that foresee the mercy of the Lord towards all who believe in Him. The people who were saved were those who did not worship the false idols and disobey the laws. These were marked with the "Thau". Father Pacwa said the "Thau" was in the shape of a cross, made with two branches of the olive tree. So those who believed in the God of Israel and followed His commandments were "blessed" with the "sign of the cross" and thereby saved through their faith and their prayers to Him imploring Him to stop the idolatry.