Reading: Friday, 21 March 2014 Reading 1: GN 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him. One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem, Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them.” So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan. They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another: “Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams.” When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying, “We must not take his life. Instead of shedding blood,” he continued, “just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but do not kill him outright.” His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father. So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on; then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry. They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers: “What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Responsorial Psalm: PS 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21 R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done. When the LORD called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them, He sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave. R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done. They had weighed him down with fetters, and he was bound with chains, Till his prediction came to pass and the word of the LORD proved him true. R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions. R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done. Gospel: MT 21:33-43, 45-46 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet. Meditation: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28 Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons. (Genesis 37:3) Since its earliest days, the Christian church has recognized a harmony between the Old and New Testaments. The apostles sought to understand how the ancient Hebrew Scriptures pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. The early Church Fathers then recognized that the mystery of Christ that is hidden in the Old Testament comes fully alive in the New. Many realities described in the Old Testament—people, events, places, or other details—anticipate realities fully revealed in the New. Scholars call them “types,” or prefigurements, of Christ. The story of Joseph gives us one of the most stirring Old Testament “types” of Jesus. Joseph, a favorite son of Jacob, was despised by his brothers, who decided to sell him into slavery in Egypt. But Joseph eventually became the instrument God used to save his family from famine: “Even though you meant harm to me,” Joseph later told his brothers, “God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). It’s not hard to see how many Church Fathers read Joseph’s story as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ life and God’s plan of salvation. Just look at the many parallels between the two: both were favored sons of a loving father. Both experienced rejection from some of their own people. Both were sold for silver. Both were falsely accused and imprisoned. Both were unexpectedly exalted—Joseph to Pharaoh’s throne and Jesus to the throne of God. And both provided salvation for the chosen people as well as the Gentiles around them. Learning how people, prophecies, and events in the Old Testament find fulfillment in Jesus can help us come to a deeper grasp of the salvation that he has won for us. It can help us grasp the marvelous plan of God. It can fill us with love for our Father, who has set his grand plan in motion. So as the season of Lent unfolds, look for Jesus’ “footprints” in the Old Testament readings at Mass. As you do, you’ll see how much God loves his people—including you. You’ll see that God has planned great and glorious things for you. Your life is secure in him! “Jesus, you are the Lord of history. Thank you for opening my eyes to your wonderful plan for our salvation!” Psalm 105:16-21; Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 Courtesy: USCCB & WAU
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 08:38:29 +0000
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