In the midst of the valley - and ye shall live

Manastirea Fartatesti-Dozesti, in tinutul Valcei. Imaginea alegorica a sfarsitului - cateva cuvinte inscrise pe pictura, cu slove chirilice, Naprasnica Moarte. Exista insa imagini si mai cutremuratoare. Cautand pe web pagini care sa vorbeasca despre capitolul 37 din Cartea Profetului Iezekiel, am dat peste o asemenea imagine.

Sunt momente cand ne aflam deodata singuri, departe de orice ajutor, de orice speranta. Momente in care suntem deodata in the midst of the valley, full of dry bones, in mijlocul campiei, plina de oase uscate, atat, oase goale, nimic altceva, nici macar groaza, nimic... cata putere de credinta trebuie sa fi avut Profetul Iezekiel, intr-un asemenea moment, pentru ca sa stie ca de fapt nu era singur... puterea de a domina deznadejdea cea mai profunda, de a o transforma in renastere a vietii... and ye shall live...
Fiul omului, vor invia, oasele acestea? Dumnezeule, numai Tu stii aceasta. Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live...

Am cunoscut un asemenea om, Parintele Constantin Voicescu, si imi pare rau ca nu am avut decat de cateva ori prilejul de a vorbi cu el. Lui, Parintelui Voicescu ii dedic randurile acestea.

1. Fost-a mana Domnului peste mine si m-a dus Domnul cu Duhul si m-a asezat in mijlocul unui camp plin de oase omenesti,
2. Si m-a purtat imprejurul lor; dar iata oasele acestea erau foarte multe pe fata pamantului si uscate de tot.
3. Si mi-a zis Domnul: Fiul omului, vor invia, oasele acestea? Iar eu am zis: Dumnezeule, numai Tu stii aceasta.
4. Domnul insa mi-a zis: Prooroceste asupra oaselor acestora si le spune: Oase uscate, ascultati cuvantul Domnului!
5. Asa graieste Domnul Dumnezeu oaselor acestora: Iata Eu voi face sa intre in voi duh si veti invia.
6. Voi pune pe voi vine si carne va creste pe voi; va voi acoperi cu piele, voi face sa intre in voi duh si veti invia si veti sti ca Eu sunt Domnul.
7. Proorocit-am deci cum mi se poruncise. si cand am proorocit, iata s-a facut un vuiet si o miscare si oasele au inceput sa se apropie, fiecare os la incheietura sa.
8. Si am privit si eu si iata erau pe ele vine si crescuse carne si pielea le acoperea pe deasupra, iar duh nu era in ele.
9. Atunci mi-a zis Domnul: Fiul omului, prooroceste duhului, prooroceste si spune duhului: Asa graieste Domnul Dumnezeu: Duhule, vino din cele patru vanturi si sufla peste mortii acestia si vor invia!
10. Deci am proorocit eu, cum mi se poruncise, si a intrat in ei duhul si au, inviat si multime multa foarte de oameni s-au ridicat pe picioarele lor.
11. Si mi-a zis iarasi Domnul: Fiul omului, oasele acestea sunt toata casa lui Israel. Iata ei zic: 'S-au uscat oasele noastre si nadejdea noastra a pierit; suntem smulsi din radacina'.
12. De aceea prooroceste si le spune: Asa graieste Domnul Dumnezeu: Iata, Eu voi deschide mormintele voastre si va voi scoate pe voi, poporul Meu, din mormintele voastre si va voi duce in tara lui Israel.
13. Astfel veti sti ca Eu sunt Domnul, cand voi deschide mormintele voastre si va voi scoate pe voi, poporul Meu, din mormintele voastre.
14. Si voi pune in voi Duhul Meu si veti invia si va voi aseza in tara voastra si veti sti ca Eu, Domnul, am zis aceasta si am facut, zice Domnul.
15. Fost-a iarasi catre mine cuvantul Domnului si mi-a zis:
16. Iar tu, fiul omului, ia-ti un toiag si scrie pe el: 'Lui Iuda si fiilor lui Israel, care sunt uniti cu el'. si sa mai iei un toiag si sa scrii pe el: 'Lui Iosif'. Acesta este toiagul lui Efraim si a toata casa lui Israel, care este unita cu el.
17. Apoi sa le apropii unul de altul incat ele sa fie in mana ta ca un singur toiag.
18. Iar cand te vor intreba fiii poporului tau: 'Nu ne vei talmaci oare si noua ce inseamna ceea ce ai in mana?'
19. Tu sa le spui: Asa graieste Domnul Dumnezeu: Iata Eu voi lua toiagul lui Iosif, care este in mana lui Efraim si a semintiilor lui Israel unite cu el si le voi impreuna cu toiagul lui Iuda si voi face din ele un singur toiag si vor fi in mana Mea una.
20. Cand insa amandoua toiegele pe care vei scrie vor fi in mana ta inaintea ochilor lor,
21. Atunci sa le spui: Asa graieste Domnul Dumnezeu: Iata, Eu voi lua pe fiii lui Israel din mijlocul neamurilor, printre care se afla, ii voi aduna din toate partile si-i voi aduce in tara lor;
22. Iar in tara aceasta, pe muntii lui Israel, ii voi face un singur neam si un singur rege va fi peste toti; nu vor mai fi doua neamuri si in viitor nu se vor mai imparti in doua regate;
23. Nu se vor mai pangari cu idolii lor, cu uraciunile lor si cu toate pacatele lor. si voi izbavi de toate faradelegile pe care le-au savarsit, ii voi curati si vor fi poporul Meu, iar Eu voi fi Dumnezeul lor.
24. Iar robul Meu David va fi rege peste ei si pastorul lor al tuturor, si ei se vor purta dupa cum cer poruncile Mele si legile Mele le vor pazi si le vor implini.
25. Vor locui tara pe care am dat-o Eu robului Meu Iacov, unde au trait parintii lor; acolo vor locui ei si copiii lor in veci; iar robul Meu David va fi peste ei rege in veac.
26. Voi incheia cu ei un legamant al pacii, legamant vesnic voi avea cu ei. Voi pune randuiala la ei, ii voi inmulti si voi aseza in mijlocul lor locasul Meu pe veci.
27. Fi-va locasul Meu la ei si voi fi Dumnezeul lor, iar ei vor fi poporul Meu.
28. Atunci vor sti popoarele ca Eu sunt Domnul Care sfinteste pe Israel, cand locasul Meu va fi vesnic in mijlocul lor".

(Cartea Profetului Iezekiel)



1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

19
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

21
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

(King James Bible)