Baaah!

Time and again, the comparison of the Church and the laity to shepherds and sheep has been made. Today's OT reading is no exception, but the message is far less warm and fuzzy than usual.

Ezekiel 34 has the Lord calling out the leaders of the church, saying that they've abandoned their charges for their own comfort and ease, and He's not happy about that.

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve.

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey." (Ez. 34:7-10)

At the risk of flagellating the expired equine (or would it be ovine?), let us cast an eye to the behaviour and words, both recent and more distant, of the Christian churches in general and the church leaders in particular.

Do they treat people with respect and love, or as marks to be fleeced?

Do they work to uplift and console the faithful or are they more interested in arguing amongst themselves while the flock hungers for spiritual food?

Do they work to guide the people through a spiritual journey in the world today or do they abandon the lambs to wolves of the world, decrying the evil of the wilderness from the comfort of their campfires?

Indeed, how are who wield the crosier today unlike the priests whom Yahweh commanded Ezekiel to prophesy against?

"Do you love me? Feed my sheep" How hard can that really be?