PRAYER: “O GOD, WHO HAVE PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE YOU GOOD THINGS WHICH NO EYE CAN SEE, FILL OUR HEARTS, WE PRAY, WITH THE WARMTH OF YOUR LOVE, SO THAT, LOVING YOU IN ALL THINGS AND ABOVE ALL THINGS, WE MAY ATTAIN YOUR PROMISES, WHICH SURPASS EVERY HUMAN DESIRE. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Ez 34:1-11; Ps 22:1-6 and Mt 20:1-16
“…Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?...” (Ez 34:1ff). Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. We need to pause and seriously ponder, reflect and meditate on this portion of the Book of Ezekiel given to us today for our meditation. Can we hold a brief for most shepherds/leaders of our contemporary times? Most of the misdeeds and mistreatments committed by the shepherds/leaders at the time of Ezekiel, which God condemned, are committed with impunity by leaders (civil, public, political, traditional and religious leaders) in our present times.
There is clear evidence of some shepherds/leaders who pasture themselves instead of pasturing the people entrusted to their care. Some shepherds/leaders ‘have fed off their milk, worn their wool, and slaughtered the fatlings’ as they extort, exploit and abuse the people they are shepherding/leading. Some have abandoned the poor to perish in their poverty while they are swimming in their pools of wealth, riches and gold. They have ignored or deliberately refused to see and attend to those who are sick and are broken down by both the challenges of the world and by the attacks from our archenemy, Satan and sin. Most leaders, both civil and religious, are not able to show love and mercy for those who falter as human beings or as believers. Little or sometimes no effort is made to bring back members of the group who have gone astray, and no attempts at reconciliation. Sadly, there are even times when some leaders’ utterances, behaviours and attitudes send some of their members astray.
Therefore, in our times, just as during the time of Ezekiel, God is not happy with the misdeeds and mistreatment that his people are receiving from these bad and evil shepherds. He surely is coming against these shepherds/leaders, for he is a just God. Yes, though he is a just God, he is also a merciful God, and he is ready to show his merciful love to those who make the least effort to do the right thing. In fact, God is more like the landowner in our Gospel who distributes the normal daily wages even to those who have worked less (Cf. Mt 20:1-16).
The shepherds/leaders referred to in today’s scriptures are not only those in authority, like political and religious leaders, but also all of us who are shepherds/leaders in one way or the other. As people of God, believers/Christians, following after the example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our lives should be exemplary, worthy of emulation in the world. Parents have more to do regarding the shepherding, leading and pastoring of children, who are the future leaders/shepherds of society. Children are given to parents, and they are entrusted into the care and protection of their parents. Parents are responsible for the holistic growth of the tender children given to them. Parents will become like bad/evil leaders/shepherds if their behaviours and attitudes repel their children. Parents will extort, exploit and abuse their children if they use them for commercial and monetary purposes, especially if children are instructed by their parents to engage in immoral, inhuman and evil activities in the world to bring in money. As a parent, if your child has not been brought up well to fit very well into society and the Church, you have failed and have become a bad/evil shepherd/leader.
Let us pray seriously for parents, especially those who are doing their best to bring up their children and yet are not seeing top. We also pray for irresponsible parents to rediscover their responsibilities towards the growth of their children. God bless you.
Since no one knows when he/she will pass on, for that day will be like a thief, let leaders/shepherds wake up in their leadership/shepherding roles and be saved by the Lord. Let us pray that shepherds/leaders may stop exploiting and abusing the people they lead. May they stop practices of bribery and corruption. May they be impartial, firm and fair in their dealings with their members. May shepherds, especially present-day pastors, stop slapping all sorts of exorbitant fees on their congregations, and may world leaders stop swallowing and lining their stomachs and fat bellies with the people’s money and property. May the Lord have mercy on us all. Stay blessed.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, WEDNESDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORONATION ’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “MADE PARTAKERS OF CHRIST THROUGH THESE SACRAMENTS, WE HUMBLY IMPLORE YOUR MERCY, LORD, THAT, CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE ON EARTH, WE MAY MERIT ALSO TO BE HIS COHEIRS IN HEAVEN. WHO LIVES AND REIGNS FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.”
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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