Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
First Reading:
From: Ezekiel 34:1-11
Oracle against the shepherd of Israel
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[1] The word of the Lord came to me: [2] "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? [3] You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. [4] The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. [5] So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the wild beasts. [6] My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
[7] "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: [5] As I live, says the Lord God, because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd; and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep; [9] therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: [10] Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
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Commentary:
34:1-31. In some Sumerian and Egyptian texts the image of the shepherd is sometimes applied to leading men and gods. In the Bible it is often applied to kings (1 Kings 22:17), perhaps because David began life as a shepherd (1 Sam 17:34; Ps 78:70-72), and to the Lord (cf. Ps 23:1-6; 80:2-3). The prophets, particularly Jeremiah, use the image when talking about rulers, be they kings or priests (cf Jer 2:8; 10:21; 25:34-36; Zech 11:4-17). In this first address to the exiles, Ezekiel talks about bad shepherds, that is, the evil rulers who led the people into the disaster of the exile (vv. 1-10) -- and, by contrast, he speaks of the Lord, the supreme shepherd who takes over the reins of government to rule his people without intermediaries (vv. 11-22), and of the new messiah-ruler whom God himself will place at their head: he will he their new shepherd, David, who will lead his flock to the best pastures (vv. 23-31).
Jesus found this a very appropriate image for explaining his role as Messiah and Saviour (in 10:1-18) and as Judge at the end of time (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Moreover, he confirmed his words by actions. When, at the multiplication of the loaves, he gathers those who have followed him (they are "like sheep without a shepherd": Mk 6:34: cf. Ezek 34:5), and nourishes them with bread and with the word of his teaching, he is fulfilling this prophecy of Ezekiel which promises a new king, a true shepherd, and a new Covenant. Jesus is, then, the shepherd who assembles all mankind to lead it to salvation: "He is the one who has gathered together into one flock all the holy sheep from all the nations under heaven, without neglecting any of the peoples of the earth: he carries out every day what he once promised, when he said: 'There are other sheep, that are not of this flock, and these too I will tend, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock, and there will be one shepherd'" (St Leo the Great, “Sermones,” 63, 7). And as John Paul II teaches: "The figure of Jesus Christ as shepherd of the Church, his flock, takes up and represents in new and more evocative terms the same content as that of Jesus Christ as head and servant. Fulfilling the prophetic proclamation of the Messiah and saviour joyfully announced by the psalmist and the prophet Ezekiel (cf. Ps 22-23; Ezek 34:11ff), Jesus presents himself as 'the good shepherd' (Jn 10:11, 14), not only of Israel but of all humanity (cf. Jn 10:16). His whole life is a continual manifestation of his 'pastoral charity'" (“Pastores dabo vobis,” 22).
34:1-10. As is usual in condemnatory oracles, the charges are mentioned first (vv. 2 6) and then comes the sentence, which begins with the usual "Therefore" (vv. 7-10). The rulers of the people (cf. 23:23-31), that is, the princes, priests, elders and professional prophets, have exploited the people and sought their own gain. What Ezekiel says here carries a message for those who hold office in Christian communities: "In the Church of Christ, everyone is obliged to make a tenacious effort to remain loyal to the teaching of Christ. No one is exempt. If the shepherds do not themselves strive to acquire a sensitive conscience and to remain faithful to dogma and moral teaching -- which make up the deposit of faith and the inheritance of all -- then the prophetic words of Ezekiel will he borne out: 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! [...] This is a strong reproof, but the offence against God is even worse when those who have received the task of promoting the spiritual welfare of everyone abuse souls instead, depriving them of the crystal water of baptism, which regenerates the soul; of the soothing oil of confirmation, which strengthens it; of the tribunal which pardons; of the food which gives eternal life" (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ Is Passing By,” 81).