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| “Jacob Receiving the Bloody Tunic of Joseph” Jan Lievens, c. 1660 |
Reading 1: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
When he arrived at
Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the
God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel
"Jacob! Jacob!"
He answered, "Here I
am."
Then he said: "I am God,
the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down
to Egypt
for there I will make you a
great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt
I will also bring you back
here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."
So Jacob departed from
Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their
wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh
had sent for his transport.
They took with them their
livestock
and the possessions they had
acquired in the land
of Canaan
Thus Jacob and all his
descendants migrated to Egypt
His sons and his grandsons,
his daughters and his granddaughters
all his descendants—he took
with him to Egypt
so that he might meet him in Goshen
On his arrival in the region
of Goshen
Joseph hitched the horses to
his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen
As soon as Joseph saw him, he
flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his
arms.
And Israel
now that I have seen for
myself that Joseph is still alive."
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Commentary on Gn 46:1-7, 28-30
"Jacob goes down to Egypt forced
by the famine which is ravaging the land of Canaan (cf. Genesis 47:4). The Lord
has prepared the way for him by means of a series of painful events and a
series of tests whose meaning is now plain to see." [4]
“Jacob's status is not reduced by
his going into Egypt; on the contrary, it is enhanced and underlined: 'For,
what does he need if God goes with him? [...] Who is as powerful in his
homeland as Jacob was in a strange country? Who had such abundance of wealth,
as he had in a time of famine? Who was as strong in his youth, as this man was
in his old age? [...] Who was as rich in his kingdom, as this man on his
pilgrimage? He even blessed kings [...], and who will call him poor whom the
world was not worthy to know? for his company was in heaven, (St. Ambrose, ‘De
Iacob Et Vita Beata', 2, 9. 38)." [5]
After being told years earlier that his son Joseph had been killed and been shown the bloodied coat he had given Joseph (Genesis 37:20-36), Jacob (Israel) and his son are reunited and the promise of God is fulfilled. Jacob travels to Egypt on God’s reassurance that he will not only be returned to the land he had been given, but that Joseph would “close his eyes,” a burial ritual.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do
good,
that you may dwell in the
land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your
heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the
just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the
lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts
forever.
They are not put to shame in
an evil time;
in days of famine they have
plenty.
R. The salvation of the
just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is
right,
and forsakes not his faithful
ones.
R. The salvation of the
just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is
from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of
distress.
And the LORD helps them and
delivers them;
he delivers them from the
wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in
him.
R. The salvation of the
just comes from the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
This didactic selection
from Psalm 37 promises the salvation of those who hear God’s voice and trust in
him. Central to this passage is the
fidelity of God to those who are faithful.
Salvation for them is assured if they trust in him and take refuge in
their faith. The author responds to the question: why do the wicked prosper? In
these strophes, it continues the plea to be faithful to God, and remain
steadfast in the time of adversity. The psalmist adds that those who turn away
should return and God will give them salvation.
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Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending
you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and
simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over
to courts
and scourge you in their
synagogues,
and you will be led before
governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and
the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you
are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that
moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who
speak
but the Spirit of your Father
speaking through you.
Brother will hand over
brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against
parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all
because of my name,
but whoever endures to the
end will be saved.
When they persecute you in
one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will
not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man
comes."
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Commentary on Mt 10:16-23
Jesus concludes his instruction to
the Apostles in this selection from Matthew’s Gospel. We begin to hear about
the persecutions that attend the spreading of the Gospel. Those who spread that
Good News are encouraged not to worry about an apologia (defense), but rather
to trust in the Holy Spirit, the Father “speaking through you.”
Matthew’s final statement,
referring to the coming of the Son of Man, has a couple of possible
explanations. First it could be referring to the return of Christ after his
crucifixion. It could also mean the punishment of the unbelieving Jewish people
by the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 AD.
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Reflection:
“See how they love one another.” (While this sounds biblical it is
actually popularized form of a quote from Tertullian’s noted Apologia [39.6]
written in the third century.) The
implication is that non-Christians would be able to identify us by the way we
behave toward one another (and others as well, since the injunction to love
one’s neighbor does not simply mean other Christians). This action of “loving one another” is an
outward sign of an interior faith. There
are a number of factors that must be present before we demonstrate to the world
that we are Christian through our actions.
In the story unfolding in
Genesis we see Jacob (Israel) challenged to give up his belief in God’s love
and mercy by the events taking place in his life. He was led to believe by his sons that his
favored son, Joseph, had been killed. In
spite of this evidence of his eyes, God promised Jacob he would see Joseph
again before he died. What elevates
Jacob to the status of patriarch of the faith is that, even though he had been
convinced that Joseph was dead, he believed God’s promise. His faith was strong in the face of
overwhelming physical evidence to the contrary.
In St.
Matthew’s Gospel Jesus warns the disciples that they will have their faith
tested as well. He tells them “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of
wolves.” Indeed, all but one of the
twelve will be killed by those to whom they are sent. In all cases, the Apostles are elevated to
that same holy status as Jacob, all save one – Judas. Judas’ failure was not that he turned Jesus
over to be executed. His failure was
that he negotiated on a key point of faith.
He could not accept that Jesus was meant to fulfill the prophecy of the
Messiah in the way he ultimately did, through humble service.
As in these two examples
(Jacob and the disciples), each of us also faces challenges to our faith. Like Judas, we are offered the option of
negotiating the core values that make us Christian. We can choose an easier path, ignoring the
poor and marginalized, choosing our own comfort over the greater good of our
neighbors, selfishness over generosity.
These choices face us each day. We pray for the intercession of those who
have gone before us in faith. May we be steadfast in our love of God and
neighbor, thereby maintaining our friendship with Christ.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Jacob Receiving the Bloody Tunic of Joseph” Jan Lievens, c.
1660.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[4]
The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p.
212.
[5]
The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp.
213-14.
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