WHAT KIND OF SHEPHERD ARE YOU? (Homily for August 17, 2016. Wednesday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time.)


Bible Study: Ezekiel 34, 1 to 11 and Matthew 20, 1 to 16.


In any organization, company, state or country, the quality of its leaders determine to a very large extent the nature of its progress. No matter what happens, the people never rise above their leaders. If the leaders are excellent, the people are good, if the leaders are good, the people are mediocre, if the leaders are mediocre, the people are bad and if the leaders are bad, the people are worse. Sick leaders produce sick organizations and there is no miracle about this.

The shepherds of Israel never measured up to the standards God wanted for them. Each time a king arose who was God-fearing, the people prospered but whenever they had a king who went after other gods, the people suffered a great deal. During the reign of David, the land enjoyed so much peace and progress up on till when David lost control and went after somebody’s wife. Solomon became king and ruled Israel under the fear of God but he soon grew old and started marrying foreign wives who came with their idols thereby desecrating the land. From this time on, the kingdom of Israel was never stable.

In Nigeria today, leadership has become a business. It is now the number one place people think of when they want to make money for themselves. Politicians spend millions of naira just to get into power and they moment they win the election, they try to get back ten times the money they had invested while running for office. It is only after they have provided for themselves that they think of the people.

Away from politics, we have churches all over the country today headed by leaders and that includes me. The fact that the church is no longer affecting the morality of the society is a clear sign that we shepherds are not living up to expectation anymore. We have stopped telling the truth and have stopped showing good example. We are even more political than the politicians themselves and we are working for our stomachs rather than the building of God’s kingdom on earth.

As Ezekiel prophesies in today’s first reading: Woe to the shepherds who have been pasturing themselves…feeding on their milk, wearing their wool, slaughtering the fatlings, neglecting the weak, the sick or injured ones. These shepherds do nothing about the strayed ones but lord it over them harshly.

Whether you like it or not, it is either you are leader right now or would become a leader in the nearest future. What type of leader would you turn out to be?

It is also important to bear in mind that being a leader does not mean that one has become a god. No matter how high the position you hold, you are still a labourer; you remain accountable to God. It is God who made you a leader and he alone decides what becomes of your future and the reward you get. As we see in today’s Gospel passage, God is the owner of the vineyard. He does the hiring and the selection. The fact that you started before others does not mean you are entitled to a higher pay. Indeed the greatest problems leaders have is the sense of entitlement. They feel they deserve the worship of others, hence they treat people like nothing but the truth is that before God all men are equal. At the end, God will pay each person not according to the number of years he or she has lived but according to the agreement each had reached with God.

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, use me as your instrument to shepherd your flock and perform my duty as a good labourer. Amen

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.

Happy anniversary to all priests ordained today and all who are celebrating theirs this very week. Mary, mother of priests, pray for us.


Fr. Abu

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