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| “Joseph in the Pharaoh's Palace” by Jacopo Amigoni, c. 1730’s |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a
Commentary on Gn 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a
We take up the story of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob, in mid-stream. Joseph’s brothers are in Egypt asking Joseph for rations though they do not recognize him. At this point in the story, they had already sold Joseph into slavery out of jealousy and told his father he was dead. Now they are forced to deal with their guilt as they must decide their own fate, unknowingly at the feet of the brother they had wronged. For the first time, Joseph understands their motives and weeps. For their part, the brothers begin to sense divine retribution for the wrong they had done to Joseph.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Commentary on Ps 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19
Psalm 33 is a song of thanksgiving and praise. In this passage, we hear praise for God’s mercy to his people. The psalmist reflects upon the futility of the plans of humanity and the wonder of God’s plan. The concluding strophe recalls the salvation God has planned for his faithful.
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Gospel: Matthew 10:1-7
Commentary on Mt 10:1-7
Following the instructions to the Twelve on how they are to evangelize given in the preceding chapter, Jesus now sends them out. St. Matthew’s Gospel does not tell the stories of how they were called, but provides the names and mission of the disciples. It is only in Matthew that the Twelve are designated as Apostles reflecting the mission and role they fulfill. They are then sent, but only to the “chosen people.” This focus on the Jewish audience tells us that St. Matthew’s Gospel was originally directed principally at Hebrew Christians.
CCC: Mt 10:5-7 543
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Reflection:
What would we think if a person we did not know came up to us and said: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand”? Even if we look at the next verses of St. Matthew’s Gospel, that phrase is not explained. He sends his disciples into the world to bring healing to the sick and hope to the poor but what does he mean: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand”?
If this phrase were spoken to us in the context of someone attempting to evangelize us, would we not immediately think that person was telling us: “The world is coming to an end” or “It’s the end of the world”? The disciples Jesus was sending must certainly have had a clear understanding of what the idea of the Kingdom of heaven was about. For our own purposes, since we are also to follow these Apostles in their mission, we must also have a clear understanding of what is meant or implied by the “Kingdom of heaven.”
The whole concept of a “Kingdom” is the first term we must define. Kingdom is defined by an unabridged dictionary as:
5. the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.
6. the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.[4]
So, when the disciples proclaim the Kingdom of heaven, they are announcing that God’s power or authority will be extended over those to whom this event is announced. In the terms and tradition in which this message was proclaimed, the idea of a temporal kingdom had a more profound understanding. The people who were to receive this message, “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” would have been under Roman authority, part of the Roman Empire, dominated by the emperor of Rome who ruled through Pontius Pilate with King Herod as regional monarch.
The whole notion that power and authority would be given over to God, the one true God known to the house of Israel as Yahweh, could mean only one thing: the promised Messiah was at hand. It would mean that the secular rule and values would no longer be the measure by which their actions were governed, but the Law of God would be the standard by which judgment would be passed.
In a very spiritual sense, they announced the end of the world as it was known (we are back to that idea). God’s Kingdom, his heavenly Kingdom on earth, must be a different kind of world. It is a place of love and understanding, a place where God’s will is recognized and the commandments are obeyed.
When we come to understand the vision of Jesus for the world both now and in God’s Kingdom of heaven, our eternal home, it becomes easier to place into context the message we are to convey through our words and actions. We must be cautious to use language that will be understood correctly. We cannot, in the context of our society, use the exact words Jesus sent the Twelve to announce. Most people would not understand the message. Rather we are called to find ways to make that announcement in ways easily understood by the “lost sheep” we encounter.
Today we pray for the grace and strength to proclaim that message. We also hope for the faith to understand that it is the message given to us as well.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Joseph in the Pharaoh's Palace” by Jacopo Amigoni, c. 1730’s.
[4] "kingdom." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 07 Jul. 2015. .
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