Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 44.18-21.23b-29.45:1-5; Matthew 10:7-15)
The appeal of Joseph’s story lies both in its parallel to the gospel and in its mirroring a perennial human situation. To indicate his favor for Joseph, Jacob clothes him royally. Out of envy his brothers plot to get rid of him. God, however, intervenes so that Joseph might save the family from ruin once the drought arrives. The Christ story follows a similar course. God has indicated his favor on Jesus by empowering him to do mighty deeds. Out of jealousy for his winning the favor of the people, the Jewish leaders with the Roman authority – a conspiracy indicative of the whole world -- have Jesus executed. But God steps in again to raise Jesus from the dead so that he might be the source of the world’s salvation.
Many years ago a popular song sounded a like note of betrayal between loved ones. “You always hurt the one you love,” the lyrics read, “the one you should not hurt at all.” In a world marked by human failure our first and most grieved victims are often the very people with whom we live under the same roof. Perhaps we utter harsh words or belittle a significant effort made by a loved one in order to distance ourselves from him. But the song ends on a note of reconciliation. The narrator can tell her loved one that she loves him most of all. Just so, Joseph is reconciled to his brothers, and God adopts us into His family with the forgiveness of our sins. It should be pointed out that this benign result requires both God’s grace and human acceptance of the divine favor.
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