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 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. (Mi 2:1-5)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071622.cfm
We begin the Prophet Micah today. As with all the prophets, justice for the poor is a major theme. It wasn’t that Israel lacked religious devotion, they were very religious, but they lacked justice and so won the condemnation of the prophets. Today is the feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel which is celebrated not only by the Dominicans but by all the religious orders who celebrate this day in honor of their devotion to the Mother of God (today is also the feast of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, celebrated by Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana).
Responsorial Psalm (Is 38:10, 11, 12ABCD, 16)
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Once I said, “In the noontime of life I must depart! To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned for the rest of my years.”
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071522.cfm
The Song of Hezekiah is the basis of today’s responsorial psalm—one of the more hauntingly tragic poetic passages in the Scriptures. Stephen Hutchinson, a British artist, was fascinated with the stairway of Ahaz mentioned in the first reading and in response created The Stairway of Ahaz (2018). Saint Bonaventure fostered the intellectual development of the Franciscans and thought of Christ as the “one true master.”
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/071422.cfm
The Lord invites because his heart is always open to us. Although she was shunned for her faith, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks, found profound peace and joy in the heart of Christ.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 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/071322.cfm
As the Psalmist reflects on the wonder of creation in the midst of dire political events, we hear the comforting message: “The LORD will not cast off his people, nor abandon his inheritance.” And why? Because the Lord always listens to us attentively . . . the Lord always looks at us with compassion. And as Jesus reminds us, the Lord of heaven and earth has hidden these things from the wise and the learned and has revealed them to little children. Today’s picture is one of the images from the new space telescope.
When word came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind. Thus says the LORD: “Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!” (Is 7:1-9)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071222.cfm
Many times in the Scriptures God has to remind us to not be afraid. In times like these in which we find ourselves, we, too, need to be reminded.
