# Turning Away from Sin: A Lenten Reflection on Ezekiel 18:21‑23
*2015-01-26*

> Bill Young reflects on the Lenten reading from Ezekiel 18:21‑23, exploring how true repentance frees us from the weight of past sins and opens the way to new life in God.

## The Scripture Reading

The passage we hear today is from Ezekiel 18:21‑23 (ESV):

"But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him. For the righteousness that he does, he shall live."

The Lord says, "The soul who sins shall die. But you will not desire the death of the wicked; rather, you should turn them away from their ways and give them life."

## Why This Message Matters Every Day

Ezekiel’s words are stark and clear: God does not delight in the death of{{{[unclear]}}} the wicked. He longs for them to repent and be restored. In our own lives, we often let past mistakes continue to haunt us, letting “wicked choices” dictate our present. The Lenten season calls us to confront that pattern and experience the freedom that genuine repentance brings.

## Repentance as/Lenten Freedom

The work of repentance during Lent is not merely a ritual; it is a real turning away from sin that opens the door to new life. When we truly turn from our past sins, God promises that those sins will not be held against us. This is not a license to ignore responsibility, but a profound invitation to live without the ghost of former failures weighing us down.

## Embracing the Gift of New Life

When we accept God’s invitation to turn away, we receive a fresh freedom—a chance to live today in the goodness of God, unburdened by the shadows of yesterday. This Lenten journey, leading through the Triduum to Easter, is precisely the time to embrace that freedom and allow God’s mercy to transform us.

*God’s desire is that we turn from sin and receive new life, not that we remain bound by our past.*