Ezekiel 24:15-24; Deuteronomy 32:18-21; Matthew 19:16-22
When someone dies, or even, moves away or otherwise becomes separated, grief and mourning are essential. They are essential so that memories of the departed are formed, and so that the psychological damage is healed. One of the saddest things that we sometimes see is when a shrine to perpetuate memories is made - for example, a child's room left exactly as it was when some accident took them from us. It is healthier to move through the proper stages of loss, grief, anger and mourning to build a safe and long lasting healing of the soul, that neither diminishes the lost one from our minds, nor prevents us from moving on and continuing our lives.
So why then, is Ezekiel commanded, in advance of her dying, to not morn or grieve his wife (who he is told will die before the end of the day?) This is a sign to the people of Israel that the imminent saving of Jerusalem would be the end. There will not be any re-building, no memories to preserve, zero point in healing of the soul, no moving on: because the dissolution of their lives was to be entire, complete and final. The phrase 'to profane his own sanctuary' does mean the destruction of the temple: the holy of holies where God lived would be torn down. Jerusalem by the end of Ezekiel's life in exile, was to be finished, with no more sacred significance.
There is no uplifting response to this prophesy (which history indeed shows took place) in the liturgy today - but we are only half way through Ezekiel's book and soon we shall explore the second part...