Introduction
Joseph
suffered because his brothers were jealous. Yet later he would save
them from famine. Jesus was rejected and died for our sins. He became
the keystone for a new kingdom, for the life of all. And we? We want
happiness without pain, without paying the price for it, though sacrifice
and happiness are close relatives. If the grain of wheat does not
die… We know this, but it’s too uncomfortable to put into practice
if we are not forced by circumstances . . .
Opening
Prayer
God,
we do not want to die;
we want to live.
We want to be happy
but without paying the price.
We belong to our times,
when sacrifice and suffering are out of fashion.
God, make life worth the pain to be lived,
Give us back the age-old realization
that life means to be born
again and again in pain,
that it may become again
a journey of hope to you,
together with Christ Jesus our Lord.
Liturgy
of the Word
First
Reading: Gen
37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28
Now
Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, for he was
the son of his old age and he had a coat with long sleeves made for
him. His brothers who saw that their father loved him more than he
loved them, hated him and could no longer speak to him in a friendly
way.
His
brothers had gone to pasture their father's flock at Shechem, and
Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are pasturing the flock
at Shechem; come along, I'll send you to them." Joseph replied,
"Here I am."
The
man said, "They have gone from here, for I heard them say: Let's
go to Dothan!" So Joseph went off after his brothers and found
them at Dothan.
They
saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they plotted to
kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes the specialist
in dreams! Now's the time! Let's kill him and throw him into a well.
We'll say a wild animal devoured him. Then we'll see what his dreams
were all about!" But Reuben heard this and tried to save him
from their hands saying, "Let us not kill him; shed no blood!
Throw him in this well in the wilderness, but do him no violence."
This he said to save him from them and take him back to his father.
So
as soon as Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his long-sleeved coat
that he wore and then took him and threw him in the well. Now the
well was empty, without water.
They
were sitting for a meal when they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites
coming from Gilead, their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh,
which they were taking down to Egypt. Judah then said to his brothers,
"What do we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blood?
Come! We'll sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him,
for he is our brother and our own flesh!" His brothers agreed
to this.
So
when the Midianite merchants came along they pulled Joseph up and
lifted him out of the well. For twenty pieces of silver they sold
Joseph to the Midianites, who took him with them to Egypt.
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.
TOP
Gospel
Reading: Mt
21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders,
“Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.
He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower,
leased the vineyard to tenants and then went to a distant country.
When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants
to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants,
beat one, killed another and stoned another.
“Again the owner sent more servants, but
they were treated in the same way.
“Finally,
he sent his son, thinking: ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the
tenants saw the son, they thought: ‘This is the one who is to inherit
the vineyard. Let us kill him and his inheritance will be ours.’ So
they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Now, what will the owner of the vineyard
do with the tenants when he comes?” They said to him, “He will bring
those evil to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others who will
pay him in due time.”
And Jesus replied, “Have you never read
what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has
become the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing; and we marvel at it.
Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you
and given to a people who will yield a harvest.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees
heard these parables, they realized that Jesus was referring to them.
They would have arrested him, but they were afraid of the crowd who
regarded him as a prophet.
Commentary
JOSEPH
is best loved of his brothers and they in jealousy and rage, plot
to kill him and throw him in a well, then sell him to traders
because of Ruben's pleading not to kill him. Our ancestors are
just like us. We are people of intrigue, hate, jealousy, anger
and murder. And Jesus reminds the people around him with the parable
of the tenants who have been entrusted with a vineyard but they
take the wine and then refuse to give what is due the vineyard
owner. Again and again when servants are sent (prophets) to demand
justice, they are seized, treated harshly and killed. Then the
son is sent and they kill him. But the time of judgment will come.
Jesus will be rejected. He was rejected. He is still rejected
by nations and many who claim to be his followers (tenants) but
justice will be done and the harvest will be reaped by those who
hear the Word of God and take it to heart. Lord Jesus, let us
be the ones who honor your Word, your kingdom and your will in
the world and do not let us be the ones judged justly. Amen.
General
Intercession
–
For those who are betrayed in their friendship and trust, we pray:
–
For street children and young people abandoned and neglected by their
families, we pray:
–
For all those who suffer in their bodies and for those seriously ill,
that they may find strength and consolation in the cross of our Lord,
we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord
our God,
we celebrate your Son’s victory over death.
Through him you give us life
and teach us to accept death.
Lord, help us to love life
without refusing to suffer when necessary
for the sake of love and renewal.
May we see the fear of death
and the urge for life
in the light of the life and death
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord
God, make us fully accept
the realities of life:
that there is no birth without pain,
no growth without effort,
no adulthood without struggle,
no wisdom without experience and practice.
God, raise us above ourselves,
that we may understand and accept
the wisdom of the cross
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Blessing
Joseph
forgave his brothers and became a blessing to them. On the cross Jesus
brought us forgiveness and life and a beautiful sign of this was how
he forgave those who had led him to the cross. May almighty God bless
you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.