Poignant Readings 11-16 23-31

Today is Monday in the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time and the Office of Readings just seem to hit the nail on the head. 

They're long so I won't copy and paste them, but look them up: Ezekiel 34: 1-6, 11-16, 23-31 and the Second Reading was a sermon On Pastors by Saint Augustine: Sermo 46, 14-15: CCL 41, 541-542.

Ezekiel prophesizes against the shepherds of Israel, who "pasture themselves", "feed off their sheep", take and take but not pasturing their flocks.  They don't help the weak but prey on them.  The sheep scattered.

Augustine tells pastors to
seek the lost, whether they want saving or not.  And not to neglect anyone.

Do you think our shepherds are listening?  How do some of them rationalize their behavior?

Dominican Study Group

Tonight the Dominican Study Group met. The discussion was led by Dr. Marina McCoy. Dr. McCoy teaches philosophy at Boston College. Tonight we discussed Nicomachean Ethics. I was "wicked lost." I just don't have the time to read the material that my "cloistered brothers" do. Maybe I should quit the group. I do love it. It's just that I feel that I can't contribute to it.
What would Aristotle do? Since we seek the virtuous good, then I'll stay. I like Aristotle and I can readily see why Aquinas was attracted to his philosophy. "The good of man is an activity of the soul in conformity with excellence or virtue, and if there are several virtues, in conformity with the best and most complete."
Aquinas takes Aristotle and pushes it up a level by applying God as the greatest Good. I like Aquinas better than Augustine. Augustine isn't as happy and optimistic as Aquinas.
See, I am learning. I guess I'll stay in the group. It is a "good."