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.
Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD. (Jer 23:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072124.cfm
People sometimes lose their way. The world is a mess and people seek simple answers, and of course, they seek someone who will deliver them from the chaos. Unfortunately, there are those who gladly lead others astray. They are really wolves in sheep’s clothing. God’s words to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock should be posted not in school classrooms but rather in the halls of power and especially in the halls of political conventions. https://youtu.be/J3k2b5hDK0c?si=1fZQwOpxSN2B9JSq
Woe to those who plan iniquity, and work out evil on their couches; In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and they take them; They cheat an owner of his house, a man of his inheritance. (Micah 2:1-5)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072024.cfm
In the daily readings, we begin reading from the Prophet Micah. The prophet’s image of the wealthy lazying around on their couches planning how to rob the poor is a pretty apt description of how it’s done today on corporate jets. The Virgin Mary has always been seen as the Mother of the Poor, for she sings the praises of God who fills the hungry with every good thing and sends the rich away empty.
Jesus said, “I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." (Mt 12:1-8)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071924.cfm
The Crucifixion of Jesus is proof that the human race always prefers sacrifice to mercy. But if we acknowledge Jesus to be the Son of Man, the one whom God sent into the world, the Lord of the sabbath, then we must always choose mercy for others.
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt 11:28-30)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071824.cfm
This is one of the most consoling invitations in all the Scriptures. The reference to the heart of Christ gives rise to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Refuge of Sinners, burning with love for us.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 94)
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Shall he who shaped the ear not hear?
or he who formed the eye not see?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071724.cfm
The Lord is neither deaf nor blind. The Lord hears the cries of the poor. The Lord sees everything that happens to his little ones. The Lord is not indifferent to our needs. The Lord will not abandon his people. As today’s photo says: God knows, God hears, God sees.
