Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The theme of the good shepherd is a common thread for today’s readings. We come across Ezekiel just after he learns of Jerusalem’s fall. Ezekiel had already been in exile for twelve years. Ezekiel’s prophecy against the shepherds of Israel reads like a job description of a bad shepherd: you feed yourself instead of your sheep, you do not search for those who have strayed or are lost, and you do not strengthen the weak or heal the sick. The prophet is challenging the leaders of the faith, who have failed to hear the word of the Lord. The story does not end here. The Lord, the Good Shepherd, promises to search for the lost sheep and gather them back into their land.
Indeed the psalm reminds us the Lord is our shepherd and that He we provide for us all the days of our life. Even if we have failed and all hope seems lost, we are to trust the Lord and be not afraid.
The Gospel sheds light on just how far the good shepherd will go to seek out the lost. Using the parable of the generous landowner, we find a God who will go to the end of the day to search out those who are not laboring in the vineyard. Time and again in this story the landowner goes back to hire those who need work, to find those who are lost with nothing to do. The landowner not only is willing to search for the lost as promised in Ezekiel, he rewards them all equally. The payment is the Kingdom of heaven to which we are all called.
Lord, we ask you to empower us to recognize our abundant the blessings, so that no matter how unworthy we feel, we realize that Your love is a gift that invites us all to be good shepherds, peace filled disciples of Your Son. Amen!
- Deacon Michael Montgomery