Ezekiel prophesied in the early years of the Babylonian captivity. He was deported to Babylon in 597 by Nebuchadnezar, and his prophecies in exile date from 593 to 571 BC. This was a terrible time in Jewish history - the end of the monarchy and the beginning of centuries of colonization by Middle Eastern kingdoms and then by Greece and Rome. Never again would Israel have a land of her own until 1948 AD. Yahweh, through the mouth of Ezekiel, blames the greedy and negligent shepherds (the kingly and priestly leaders) for the disastrous situation of His beloved people.

In the Gospel, we see the fulfilment of the final words of Ezekiel's prophecy, where Yahweh says that He Himself will be the one to shepherd His people. This, of course, is fulfilled in Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The Gospel today shows us one beautiful aspect of the Good Shepherd's loving care. In the parable of the vineyard workers, Jesus tells us that all people who come to believe in Him, even at the last moment of their lives (those workers who are hired late in the afternoon) will share equally in the reward of eternal life. It is true that the morning workers (those of us converted early in life) have worked much harder and longer. But Jesus' point is that eternal life is equally a pure gift for us. No one can earn it. Our work can never match the reward held in store for us.