Second Week of Lent, Friday, March 12

Genesis 37:3-4,12-13a,17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

The first reading at today's Mass is the story of how the brothers of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Israel, sell him into slavery after nearly murdering him. The motive for murder is their jealousy over the fact that Joseph was Israel's most beloved son of twelve. He is disparagingly called a dreamer, because he shared with his father and brothers some dreams he had where he was singled out over the others. He was simple in his observation of this, but they were upset that somehow he was placing himself over them. It's hard to believe that the leaders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel could be this way, as later on it is hard to believe that the Twelve Apostles upon whom our Church rests could also be so foolish and unreliable at times.

Getting rid of Joseph, however, is just the beginning of an extraordinary life of adventure. Joseph eventually becomes the most powerful man in Egypt, Pharaoh's alter ego and trusted collaborator. Joseph is talented and receives gifts from God that allow him to achieve success. When his brothers and father are starving years later, they go to Egypt where food has been kept in store and appeal to the man who controls it all, their brother Joseph, who they thought was dead. Their crime sets the stage for their salvation.

None of this would have taken place had not Joseph's brothers committed this evil deed against him. He ends up saving those very same brothers from famine many years later. What is the lesson? One lesson is to understand that God has his plan and some of the elements do not make sense at first, particularly things that have gone wrong and seem tragic. Being the beloved son, whether it is Joseph, or the son of today's Gospel parable, or Jesus himself, may draw the anger and jealousy of others. But God's Will cannot be thwarted by the errors and evil choices of men. He brings all these things together to work for our good, even though we may not have that vision in the midst of suffering the consequences of errors and evil choices.

Heaven is bent on restoring the world to its beauty and union with God as it was before the Fall of Adam and Eve. Jesus came into the world and was rejected, but not hindered. Our starting premise is that God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us. There is a good reason for all else that happens to us, which will be revealed in God's own time. We witness the rejection of the Church, we are living through a flood of tragic errors and failures, but the Church cannot be hindered. Men kill the Son of God, but it doesn't change God's plan; in fact, it is God's plan to draw good from the evil that is done by men in the name of justice.

Today the Church suffers by the mistakes of people within the Church and the attacks of those from without. But the Church cannot be hindered in its mission to restore life and beauty to God's Creation and to reestablish a close relationship with our Creator. Mary accompanies us through the bewildering trials we experience, as she did when she witnessed her Son's passion and death, helping us to believe that just beyond this suffering is the Resurrection.

BACK to the previous page