Today’s first reading from Genesis is a crucial moment in the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob. This whole narrative, which stretches over fourteen chapters, is one of the true gems in the Bible. Even people who aren’t believers can appreciate its artistry. After all, they didn’t make a smash Broadway musical out of it for nothing! But it’s only as believers, with the eyes of faith, that we can appreciate the story’s deepest meanings.
Suffering Can Lead to Healing
Today’s reading at Mass picks up in the middle, so let me briefly remind us of the action up until now. Joseph’s older brothers, jealous of their father Jacob’s special love for his young son, hate him and literally want to kill him. But, instead, they decide to sell him into slavery and tell their father that Joseph died in an accident. Thinking nothing of him for all these years, the brothers have no idea that, through the incredible workings of Divine Providence, their little brother has risen to become Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharoah himself. For Joseph had predicted the coming of a great famine and helped Egypt to become the only nation prepared for the calamity. And so, when all of Jacob’s sons back in the land of Canaan face starvation and need to beg the wise Egyptian Prime Minister for grain, they have no idea it is Joseph, whom they sold long ago. For by this time, he looks and speaks and acts like an Egyptian lord.
The Path to Reconciliation and Glory
This is where the story picks up today. And if we were to judge the portion we heard superficially and on merely human terms, we’d think that Joseph is just acting vindictively by first locking his brothers up and then sending them back to Canaan with the demand that they bring him their youngest brother Benjamin. But Joseph is inspired to understand that this stern treatment will awaken in his brothers repentance for their past sin against him. Now, stirring up these sorrowful memories doesn’t give Joseph a kind of spiteful pleasure; on the contrary, the reading tells us specifically that Joseph weeps when he hears his brothers’ anguished words of regret. Yet, despite the pain, Joseph knows this is necessary preparation and the only possible path to the true reconciliation that will come.
Perhaps as we look at our own lives and the lives of our families, we can remember past periods that seemed inexplicably harsh and painful in the moment, but that we now realize were the necessary preparation or path to genuine healing, or reconciliation, or even glory. Certainly, we as Christians know this reality most fully as we meditate upon the Cross of Christ and discern in His sacrifice the path to His Resurrection and the means of our salvation. This is the very mystery we celebrate now, at this Mass and every Mass, where Jesus calls us to repent of our sins, hear words of hope, and receive the Bread of Life.
- Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
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