Our blog is inspired by The Holy Spirit.
First reading:
The word of the Lord came to me:
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
in these words prophesy to them to the shepherds:
Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel
who have been pasturing themselves!
Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?
You have fed off their milk, worn their wool,
and slaughtered the fatlings,
but the sheep you have not pastured.
You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick
nor bind up the injured.
You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost,
but you lorded it over them harshly and brutally.
So they were scattered for the lack of a shepherd,
and became food for all the wild beasts.
My sheep were scattered
and wandered over all the mountains and high hills;
my sheep were scattered over the whole earth,
with no one to look after them or to search for them.
Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
As I live, says the Lord GOD,
because my sheep have been given over to pillage,
and because my sheep have become food for every wild beast,
for lack of a shepherd;
because my shepherds did not look after my sheep,
but pastured themselves and did not pasture my sheep;
because of this, shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I swear I am coming against these shepherds.
I will claim my sheep from them
and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep
so that they may no longer pasture themselves.
I will save my sheep,
that they may no longer be food for their mouths.
For thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep. Emphasis mine Ezekiel 34:1-11
Response for the Responsorial Psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Psalm 23
The Gospel reading:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
he found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” emphasis mine Matthew 20:1-16
When I sat down to write this blog, I, yes, I wanted badly to talk about a Gospel reading from a previous week.
Well, surprise, surprise, that was not what the Holy Spirit wanted, and I knew it the moment I read today’s readings.
In the first reading, we have God’s complaint against the leaders of the Jewish people at that time, and finally, declaring God will take care of His sheep.
The responsorial Psalm is, of course, the 23 Psalm, which ties in beautifully to the first reading.
The Gospel reading is about the landowner who went out to hire laborers to WORK in his fields, and laborers are employed at various times of the day, the last people at almost the very end of the day; in fact, they worked only one hour.
Until I started writing this blog, I never connected the dots with these three readings, and I think if you were to go back and reread these readings, I am positive you would discover more than we can write about today.
In the first reading, God lays out how the Jewish authorities have not taken care of his sheep but have taken care of themselves, and God declares He will take care of His sheep.
How?
By sending the Holy Spirit.
Being Baptized in The Holy Spirit separates the Christian from all other religions. We, as Baptized Christians, have God the Holy Spirit infused in our Souls. No other religion can claim this.
We are living temples!
In the third reading, we are told that God will come and get us. Notice not all are recruited at the same time. Some God reaches out to early in their lives, and others later.
What is important is you must be ready to accept God’s invitation.
How?
First, with constant daily prayer, establishing and growing your relationship with God.
Second, read the Bible every day, a paragraph, a page, a chapter; it doesn’t make any difference; just get into the habit of reading this vital book daily.
Third, go to Mass and celebrate your chance to touch God, Jesus, when you receive Communion.
Find a life filled with Love, Joy, and Peace, and acknowledge a God who wants to be your shepherd.
“The nine” We pray you will grow in the Love, Joy, and Peace of the Holy Spirit by growing in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
Gail and I went to see the Color Purple at the Maine State Music Theater.
At intermission, I said to Gail, “let’s get out of here.” The reason for my statement was the star; a poor, black female had been beaten, forced into an unloving marriage, forced to give up her two children, was yelled at, and belittled by her husband.
There was one line that made me sit up and take notice. I don’t remember the exact words, but in essence, the show’s star prayed to God, “where are you? I have an unloving husband and have had my children taken away from me; where are you? I guess you don’t answer the prayer of a poor black person!”
She didn’t yell her prayer, but I wanted to emphasize this statement because I felt the same thought; she thought, “where are you?”
I also realized that some of you may have had similar experiences, which grated me even more because I was privileged to grow up and live today in a very loving environment.
Our family and I are blessed.
Until we typed this, I didn’t realize how much I had been drawn into this Musical, and the music was fantastic.
Anyway, I told Gail, ” Let’s leave. I can’t stand this show. Of course, we didn’t, and I am so glad we didn’t.
God answered her prayers, and we will not spoil the show by revealing how God responded to her prayers, but ALL of her prayers were answered.
God is and was her shepherd, and there was nothing she didn’t want.
Bonus:
I love the book of Job.
I have read it multiple times, but I still have much to learn.
Mike, our oldest son, sent me a video about Job, which is excellent. I have watched it twice and love it—what a gifted speaker.
The video is twenty-four minutes long, and because it’s on YouTube, it has two short five-second ads.
Click or copy and paste the link below and enjoy.
Where is the August 10th blog, some of you might be asking? I wrote it and scheduled it to go out on Tuesday as we always do, but it didn’t go out. I am sorry.
Picture:
Cindy, Mike’s wife, started feeding the ducks by their house, and before she knew it, they were waiting for the next meal every day. When Mike and Cindy travel, they ensure someone will feed them in their absence.
