During World War II Count Helmut Von Moltke and his friends had discussed a Germany based on moral and democratic principles that could develop after Hitler. This was considered treason by the Nazi regime and he was put on trial. The real issue crystalized when the prosecutor said in court, “Christianity and National Socialism are incompatible since the both claim the whole man.” It is that wholeness that our Lenten readings stress today. Ezekiel’s warning is that there is no tit for tat with God, no adding up of good and bad actions and counting on the good outweighing the bad. No, God expects our total commitment to a life of virtue. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount teaches his followers that we can’t worship God, we can’t claim a connection to God, if we are unwilling to forgive our neighbor. The love of God and neighbor are not two things but one whole thing. It’s all or nothing.
