Wednesday - August 19, 2020
If you are wise, then, know that you have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation. This is your goal; this is the center of your life; this is the treasure of your heart. May you consider truly good whatever leads you to your goal and truly evil whatever makes you fall away from it.
-- St Robert Bellarmine
If you are wise, then, know that you have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation. This is your goal; this is the center of your life; this is the treasure of your heart. May you consider truly good whatever leads you to your goal and truly evil whatever makes you fall away from it.
-- St Robert Bellarmine
| First reading | Ezekiel 34:1-11 © |
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An oracle against bad and selfish shepherds
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them:
‘“Shepherds, the Lord says this: Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock, yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock. You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the wounded ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and violently. For lack of a shepherd they have scattered, to become the prey of any wild animal; they have scattered far. My flock is straying this way and that, on mountains and on high hills; my flock has been scattered all over the country; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them.
‘“Well then, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, I swear it – it is the Lord who speaks – since my flock has been looted and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of any wild animal, since my shepherds have stopped bothering about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, in view of all this, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this: I am going to call the shepherds to account. I am going to take my flock back from them and I shall not allow them to feed my flock. In this way the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will not prey on them any more.”
‘For the Lord says this: “I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view.”’
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) © |
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The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
| Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:135 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
| Or: | Heb4:12 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
| Gospel | Matthew 20:1-16 © |
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Why be envious because I am generous?
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.” In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’
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Signs of a Good Shepherd
He (or she) is caring.
He protects his flock.
He guides his sheep to safer pastures.
He goes after the lost and finds them.
He carries the weak ones over the rough spots.
He fights off the wolves and defeats them with the power of God.
Always alert to do his job well, he is closely connected to the Lord who empowers him.
What an awesome calling!
Have you ever been hurt by one of God's shepherds? Indirectly and directly, we've all suffered from priests who've abused their vocations.
Today's first reading makes it clear how upsetting it is to the Lord when shepherds fail to do what they're called to do. Just because they've been given authority over us does not automatically give them a special place in God's kingdom. The sheep are held higher in God's esteem than shepherds who are not like Christ the Good Shepherd. As Jesus says in today's Gospel reading, "Thus the last shall be first and the first shall be last."
Pope Francis said (April 14, 2014) that priests who are not willing to be shaped by the Holy Spirit, "meditating every day on the Gospel ... experiencing the mercy of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation ... eating the Eucharist with faith and with love ... being men of prayer ... it would be better for you to have the courage to seek another path."
However, when they don't and we get hurt by shepherds who fail to be good shepherds, we do not need to run from them and from the Church. Indeed, we are called to stay and be Christ's instrument of healing and restoration. The first step of healing is to remember how God feels about it: "I myself will look after [my sheep] and tend to their needs." Jesus is the perfectly Good Shepherd. He picks us up and gently embraces us, kisses our wounds, and carries us where we need to go, while we safely rest and recover.
To truly rest in the Divine Shepherd's arms, we need to forgive the human shepherds who pastured us poorly. We need to remember that they, too, have been pastured poorly by someone in their background, and often their selfishness comes from an all-consuming need to pasture themselves -- a need that only Jesus can successfully fill if they let him.
We also need to forgive those who are hardest to forgive. Yes, even those who molested children. Without negating their responsibility in choosing the path of terrible sin instead of holiness, we need to pray for their souls as much as we need to pray for their victims. When there is nothing else we can do, we can pray that the victorious power of Christ will reclaim what the devil has stolen. Satan wants to destroy the Church, of course. Christ's shepherds are the devil's first target. If we're not careful, our righteous anger can be used by the devil to further undermine the Church. With Christ's help, our willingness to forgive will defeat the Enemy.
All human shepherds (even the best of them) are imperfect and will fail us from time to time. If we seek perfect love and guidance from them, insisting that they give us all that we need, we take our eyes off of Jesus and what he can do for us. Only with Jesus can we, like it says in today's responsorial psalm, be wanting for nothing, fully satisfied. Only with Jesus can we find lush pastures, restful waters, and refreshment for our soul. Only with Jesus can we find the right path through dark valleys. Only with Jesus can our lives overflow with goodness.
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Today's Prayer
My Lord, grant me an attentive and grateful heart to appreciate your countless blessings and abundant mercy. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
The Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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