Theme: Christ our king. In the Ezekiel lesson, God is the loving Shepherd-King of Israel, gathering the lost, comforting the injured. In the 1 Corinthians text, Christ triumphs over his enemies, especially the power of death. In the Gospel, Christ judges and separates those who are his sheep from those who are not. The key determinant consists of attitudes and actions toward the weak and needy ones.

COMMENTARY

Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
The people of Israel were destroyed. The nation was no more. The Holy City defiled and decimated; the sacred temple ravished. All hope had vanished. In this environment, Ezekiel spoke words of hope to God's captive people in Babylon. The image employed was that of the shepherd. God himself would shepherd the lost sheep of Israel and bring them…