14th Week, Wednesday, July 12
Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24 / Matthew 10:1-7
Joseph tests his brothers; "Bring me your youngest brother.”
Why didn't Joseph reveal himself to his brothers immediately? Why did he keep them in the dark? Why did he put them through the agony of bringing their youngest brother to Egypt? Joseph wanted to test them. He wanted to make absolutely certain that they had changed since the day they had sold him into slavery. The response of the brothers on this occasion, and later on, indicates that they had indeed changed. They recognized how evil they had been. They acknowledged their wrongdoing with sincerity and truth to one another.
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How readily do we acknowledge our own wrongdoing? "Have mercy on me, O God 'Against you only have I sinned.' You are pleased with sincerity of heart Cleanse me of sin . . . that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:3, 6, 8, 9
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Driven by famine, the brothers of Joseph go to Egypt to buy food. Without knowing it, they meet Joseph, now ranking right after Pharaoh in the country.
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The hardships of life often has the effect of hardening our hearts. And as we face the hardships of life, it is inevitable that what arises in our minds is the person or persons that caused our hardships. So it may be our boss or supervisor, our colleague or peers, our subordinates or family members, but with resentment and bitterness we will blame them for our predicament. "People can live through great hardships and yet perish from hard feelings." (Solzhenitsyn)
In the 1st reading, we hear about Joseph who had the authority in Egypt to sell grain to all comers during a time of great famine. It was this Joseph that his brothers had sold into slavery much earlier and he went through many hardships before God raised him to fame and authority. And now his brothers were bowing before him though they did not recognize him. So, it could be pay back time and Joseph could give his brothers a greater hardship than the famine they were facing. But Joseph did not give in to resentment and bitterness against his brothers. In fact, after hearing their conversation, he left and wept.
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In the gospel when Jesus called the apostles and sent them off to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, it was going to entail great hardships from difficult people. But, for the sake of the kingdom and because the kingdom is close at hand, they cannot give in to resentment and bitterness. Neither can we. Because the kingdom of heaven is close at hand, let us soften our hearts so as to let the kingdom of heaven take root in us.
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In the list of the apostles, we have three groups of four names each. In the first, which is headed by Peter, are those who were closest to Jesus. Peter, John and his brother James and Peter's brother Andrew. The second group is headed by Philip. They were men who had the most contacts with non-Jews. Bartholomew most likely Nathanael, Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector. He puts himself last and mentions his former profession. In the third group under the name of James, the son of Alphaeus, are those who were the keenest on Jewish customs. Jude Thaddaeus and Simon, the Zealot. Zealots would be today a political party, conservative nationalist, rather fanatical. The last mentioned is Judas. Iscariot is often explained as man from Kerioth. It may also come from an Aramaic word (shegarya) which means liar, hypocrite. The main work of the apostles was to give witness for Christ. They had a special place in the governance of the Church. As heresies arose, their teachings became the rule of faith.
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Jesus sends out his apostles as healers of the ills of people so that the new era of the kingdom of God can begin. They, and we too, have to be healers in a world that is harsh and pitiless and much in need of healing. Let the forgiveness and compassionate love we receive from God renew this world and make it God’s world and kingdom.
Prayer
Lord our God, you let your Son Jesus entrust his good news of healing and liberation to simple and weak people. Make us much more aware, Lord, that the good news of the kingdom is fundamentally human, accessible and easy to understand. Let this good news grow in us and transform us deeply and fill us with the healing love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
