Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings for Friday of the Second Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Genesis 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
The story from Genesis is that of Joseph, the son of Israel, being taken and sold into slavery by his brothers. The story is actually told by both authors of Genesis the Yahwist and the Elohist and there are some inconsistencies as a result (specifically which brother tried to save him). On the main points they agree – instead of killing Joseph as they had initially intended they sold him to Ishmaelites (Arabs) who took him as a slave to Egypt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
Psalm 105 recalls the Genesis story, speaking also of the fate of Joseph in Egypt and how God rescued and supported in his slavery.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
The Parable of The Wicked Husbandmen from Matthew is the Gospel today. Placed with the story of Joseph’s capture and exile because of jealousy, we feel the same emotions in the tenants who wish to first withhold what they owe and then kill the son of the land owner so they can take his inheritance.
This story is an allegory to Christ’s mission and purpose. God sent him to open the gates of heaven through the forgiveness of sin to all peoples, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. The Jews, seeing themselves as the custodians of salvation would reject such a messenger, even the Son of God and ultimately kill him to maintain their false belief that in doing so they would continue as sole owners of the keys to the kingdom of God.
The symbolism that runs through the parable is rich and we will not try to capture it in this short commentary (see the Deacon-Sailor Archive for more complete analysis)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In the most recent issue of Columbia, the magazine published by the Knights of Columbus, there is a story about Father James E. Coyle. Irish born Fr. Coyle was assigned to a parish in Birmingham Alabama in the early years of the 20th century during a time of intense aniti-Catholic sentiment as Catholic immigrants poured into the area seeking work. Without going into details, Fr. Coyle was killed for his outspoken witness to the Church, his killer, a Methodist Minister, was acquitted.
We mention this story to point out that the attitudes about who has the keys to the Kingdom of God is, to this day, a source of tension. The Gospel, therefore, serves as a warning for us to avoid that possessive impulse, feeling ourselves superior because of our affiliation with the Church (like the tenants in the parable). It is also a warning that others, threatened by or jealous of our faith and heritage, will seek to suppress us, possibly violently in some circumstances.
There are many people in the world who share the hatred of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and its offspring hate organizations. For reasons known only to themselves they find the God of love anathema. Those who love darkness hate the light. And what are we commanded to do about those who hate us? We are to return love for hate.
We are also called to lean another lesson from the Parable of the Husbandmen. We must not be like the tenants. In spite of the ease with which we can identify past injustice and intolerance in others, we have a difficult time seeing it in ourselves. It manifests itself when we stereotype people because of their race or religion. It shows itself when we pass on rumor, innuendo or even bad humor.
Today the Lord uses his own fate as an example to us. He shows us what can happen when we turn away from God’s commandment to love one another and embrace the baser motives of greed and wrath. We pray for ourselves today; that we might be freed from these and all sins and be a fearless witness to our faith in the world.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Joseph is Sold” by Sébastien Bourdon, 1637
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings for Friday of the Second Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Genesis 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
The story from Genesis is that of Joseph, the son of Israel, being taken and sold into slavery by his brothers. The story is actually told by both authors of Genesis the Yahwist and the Elohist and there are some inconsistencies as a result (specifically which brother tried to save him). On the main points they agree – instead of killing Joseph as they had initially intended they sold him to Ishmaelites (Arabs) who took him as a slave to Egypt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
Psalm 105 recalls the Genesis story, speaking also of the fate of Joseph in Egypt and how God rescued and supported in his slavery.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
The Parable of The Wicked Husbandmen from Matthew is the Gospel today. Placed with the story of Joseph’s capture and exile because of jealousy, we feel the same emotions in the tenants who wish to first withhold what they owe and then kill the son of the land owner so they can take his inheritance.
This story is an allegory to Christ’s mission and purpose. God sent him to open the gates of heaven through the forgiveness of sin to all peoples, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. The Jews, seeing themselves as the custodians of salvation would reject such a messenger, even the Son of God and ultimately kill him to maintain their false belief that in doing so they would continue as sole owners of the keys to the kingdom of God.
The symbolism that runs through the parable is rich and we will not try to capture it in this short commentary (see the Deacon-Sailor Archive for more complete analysis)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In the most recent issue of Columbia, the magazine published by the Knights of Columbus, there is a story about Father James E. Coyle. Irish born Fr. Coyle was assigned to a parish in Birmingham Alabama in the early years of the 20th century during a time of intense aniti-Catholic sentiment as Catholic immigrants poured into the area seeking work. Without going into details, Fr. Coyle was killed for his outspoken witness to the Church, his killer, a Methodist Minister, was acquitted.
We mention this story to point out that the attitudes about who has the keys to the Kingdom of God is, to this day, a source of tension. The Gospel, therefore, serves as a warning for us to avoid that possessive impulse, feeling ourselves superior because of our affiliation with the Church (like the tenants in the parable). It is also a warning that others, threatened by or jealous of our faith and heritage, will seek to suppress us, possibly violently in some circumstances.
There are many people in the world who share the hatred of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and its offspring hate organizations. For reasons known only to themselves they find the God of love anathema. Those who love darkness hate the light. And what are we commanded to do about those who hate us? We are to return love for hate.
We are also called to lean another lesson from the Parable of the Husbandmen. We must not be like the tenants. In spite of the ease with which we can identify past injustice and intolerance in others, we have a difficult time seeing it in ourselves. It manifests itself when we stereotype people because of their race or religion. It shows itself when we pass on rumor, innuendo or even bad humor.
Today the Lord uses his own fate as an example to us. He shows us what can happen when we turn away from God’s commandment to love one another and embrace the baser motives of greed and wrath. We pray for ourselves today; that we might be freed from these and all sins and be a fearless witness to our faith in the world.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Joseph is Sold” by Sébastien Bourdon, 1637
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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