19 August 2020

The word of the Lord came to me:
Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!
Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool,
you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.
You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick,
you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed,
you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them.

Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
From Ezekiel 34: 1-11 (NRSV)

The image of the Good Shepherd is one that continues to speak to people and it has its roots deep in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is interesting that the Lord, through Ezekiel, starts by castigating those who had been entrusted with the shepherding of his people. He cites their failings – with particular concern for those that affect the weak and vulnerable – those who have strayed  – and those who have experienced the shepherding as harsh and cruel. God gives up on them – and says that he will be their shepherd – God will seek and find those who have been lost.

• • When have you – or someone you know – experienced poor “shepherding”?
  • Who are the weak – the sick – the lost and straying in the Church and the world today?

Pray today for those who have experienced poor shepherding and have become lost – that the Lord will seek and find them and bring them to a safer flock.