The Commemoration of the Great Prophet Ezekiel, the son of Buzi .

On this day the great prophet Ezekiel the son of Buzi departed . This righteous man was apriest, and Nebuchadnezzar exiled him with king Jehoiachin to Babylon . There in the land of theChaldeans by the river Chebar, the spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he prophesied about wondrous things for twenty two years. He spoke concerning the birth of the Lord Christ by the Lady the Virgin St. Mary and how after she had borne Him, she would remain a virgin: "Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut .And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut" (Ezekiel 44:1-2) . He prophesied concerning the baptism that sanctify the soul of the man and his body, soften his stony heart, and make him a son of God by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him . Headmonished the priests for their forsaken the teaching of the people, warning them that God willask for their souls from them if they neglect teaching them . He prophesied concerning thecommon resurrection and the rising of the bodies with their souls, and about their rewards forwhatever they deserve . He said many useful sayings which are of benefit to those who read them,and God manifested through him many signs and great wonders . When the children of Israelworshipped idols in Babylon, he rebuked them and their leaders rose up and killed him . Theyburied him in the tomb of Shem and Arphaxad .May his prayers be with us . Amen