When we hear the word “wicked,” we may picture people far removed from ourselves, people whose actions seem beyond forgiveness. Yet God looks upon even these people and desires their return. He sees the harm they have done, but he also sees the person he created and loves. He desires that they turn toward him and live.
This verse gives us a glimpse into God’s heart. God does not delight in losing anyone. He calls people to conversion because he cares about their lives. Conversion means turning away from what harms our relationship with God and others, and learning to live in his love.
This supports the Church’s teaching that God desires every person’s salvation. Saint Paul expresses this hope plainly: God “desires everyone to be saved.” God wants everyone near him, not just those we consider righteous. His invitation reaches those who have wandered, those who resist him, and those who believe they have gone too far to come home.
Jesus makes this love visible. He welcomes sinners, shares meals with them, and calls them to a new life. In the story of the prodigal son, the father runs to embrace the returning younger son. Then he goes outside to invite the angry older son into the celebration. The father wants both of his children with him.
This also reveals the infinite nature of God’s love for humanity: even when we turn away from him, he continues to desire our good and call us into communion with him.
His love is not a reward reserved for the righteous; it is the gift that makes our conversion possible. God sees the harm our sins cause, yet he never loses sight of the person he created and loves.
He respects our freedom, while continually inviting us to receive his mercy. Ezekiel’s words assure us that God’s desire is for our return and life—a love made visible in Jesus, who gave himself for us while we were still sinners
Yet God’s desire for everyone’s salvation does not mean our choices don’t matter or that everyone is automatically saved. Ezekiel balances God’s mercy with our need to respond: God wants us to live, and he calls us to turn toward him. His grace makes that return possible; he invites us to receive it.
This is a great source of hope for anyone struggling to follow Christ. We do not have to become worthy of God’s love before we begin returning to him. His love is already calling us home. But that love also challenges us: we cannot gratefully receive God’s mercy while wishing he would withhold it from someone else.
