Servant of the Word: Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Jacob Receiving the Bloody Tunic of Joseph” Jan Lievens, c. 1660

Readings for Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]

Commentary:

"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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23

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.

CCC: Mt 10:16 764; Mt 10:19-20 728; Mt 10:22 161, 1821

---------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

[2] S.S. Commemoratio