Though they offer sacrifice, immolate flesh and eat it, the LORD is not pleased with them. He shall still remember their guilt and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt. (Hos 8:4-7, 11-13)
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Mt 9:32-38)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070522.cfm
“They shall return to Egypt” is a figurative way of saying they will be held captive and become slaves again, negating the salvation the Lord won for them. But God has compassion on us in sending us the Good Shepherd.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Tuesday, Week XIV, Ordinary Time
