August 14, 2004. Memorial of St. Maximilian Colby, priest, and martyr.

A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel. The Lord cried out 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 a writer's case at his waist, saying to him,

Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a tau on the foreheads of those who moan and groan

over 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 tau began at my sanctuary

so they began with the men the elders who were in front of the temple defiled the temple he said to them and fill the courts with the men, the elders who were in front of the temple.

Defiled 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 cherubin.

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.

The Word of the Lord.

The response oral Psalm.

The response is, The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

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