20170713
LETTING GO OF OLD
SCORES
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
Genesis 44:18-21,23-29,45:1-5 ©
Judah went up to Joseph and said,
‘May it please my lord, let your servant have a word privately with my lord. Do
not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord
questioned his servants, “Have you father or brother?” And we said to my lord,
“We have an old father, and a younger brother born of his old age. His brother
is dead, so he is the only one left of his mother, and his father loves him.”
Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on
him.” But you said to your servants, “If your youngest brother does not come
down with you, you will not be admitted to my presence again.” When we went
back to your servant my father, we repeated to him what my lord had said. So when
our father said, “Go back and buy us a little food,” we said, “We cannot go
down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot be
admitted to the man’s presence unless our youngest brother is with us.” So your
servant our father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two children.
When one left me, I said that he must have been torn to pieces. And I have not
seen him to this day. If you take this one from me too and any harm comes to
him, you will send me down to Sheol with my white head bowed in misery.” If I
go to your servant my father now, and we have not the boy with us, he will die
as soon as he sees the boy is not with us, for his heart is bound up with him.
Then your servants will have sent your servant our father down to Sheol with
his white head bowed in grief.’
Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his
retainers, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one therefore was
present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept
so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.
Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still
alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight
of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had
come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt.
But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here,
since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.’
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 104(105):16-21 ©
Remember the wonders the Lord has
done.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord called down a famine on
the land;
he broke the staff that supported them.
He had sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
Remember the wonders the Lord has
done.
or
Alleluia!
His feet were put in chains,
his neck was bound with iron,
until what he said came to pass
and the word of the Lord proved him true.
Remember the wonders the Lord has
done.
or
Alleluia!
Then the king sent and released him
the ruler of the people set him free,
making him master of his house
and ruler of all he possessed.
Remember the wonders the Lord has
done.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation Ps94:8
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the
Lord.
Alleluia!
Or Mk1:15
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at
hand:
repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel Matthew 10:7-15 ©
Jesus instructed the Twelve as
follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure
the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received
without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver,
not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey
or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep.
‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and
stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the
house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your
peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what
you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your
feet. I tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with
the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.’
LETTING GO OF OLD SCORES
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ Gn 44:18-21,23-29; 45:1-5; Ps 104:16-21; Mt 10:7-15
]
All of us have been betrayed at some time in our lives by our loved
ones, our family members, friends, priests and religious.
It is already difficult to bear the pain of betrayal, much more that which
comes from people who are closest to us. When that happens, it is even
more difficult to forgive them. We can ignore our enemies and cut them
off from our lives and have nothing more to do with them. But with our
loved ones, even if we try, we cannot let go completely. The anger,
resentment and pain in our hearts will stay with us until death!
If we have experienced betrayed, then we can empathize with Joseph in
the first reading. He was almost put to death by his
brothers because of sibling rivalry and jealousy. Eventually, he
was sold as a slave. Initially, Joseph had a hard time. He was
bought by the officials of Pharoah but was subsequently thrown into prison
because he was framed by the master’s wife who did not get what she wanted from
Joseph. So we can be sure that Joseph went through a hard time. He
must have harboured anger at his brothers and worried to death about the
well-being of his beloved father. And so when he saw his brothers coming
to buy grain in Egypt, he thought it was an occasion to teach them a lesson.
Yet eventually, he let go of his grievances. How did he do
it? He saw the big picture! When we are hurt and
unjustly treated it is natural for us to focus on our pain and on the negative
event, forgetting the larger picture of life. What we need to do is
to see our pain in perspective and not narrowly. If only we open
our eyes to the other aspects of our life and look at those who have hurt us
and how we have grown from such unpleasant events, we will find it easier to
let go.
In the first place, Joseph recognized that they were his brothers. “Joseph
said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he
said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt.’” The letter of
Hebrews also said the same thing about Jesus. “For this reason Jesus is
not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim
your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I
will praise you.’” (Heb 2:11b-12) Truly, blood is thicker than water.
There is a soul tie with those who are our blood relatives, whether we want to
admit it or not. We might try to deny the truth but we know that deep in
our hearts, when we are alienated or estranged from our loved ones, we feel
sad. In the depths of our hearts, we desire reconciliation and
union. There will be no peace till we are reunited with them.
Secondly, Joseph understood that all things happened for his good.
He told them, “But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having
sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.”
In a similar vein, St Paul wrote, “We know that all things work together for
good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
God writes straight in crooked lines. We must trust that He will never
allow anything to destroy us. He will bring grace out of disgrace.
That was what He did for Joseph and our Lord Jesus Christ. Only when we look
back on hindsight can we see the marvelous plan of God. What was
apparently a curse and setback for Joseph became the means by which he would
become the ruler of Egypt after Pharaoh. Whether it was his being sold as
a slave or framed by the master’s wife for sexual harassment, and then thrown
into prison, it was all for his good so that he could one day have access to
Pharaoh and earn his trust and confidence. So it was a blessing in
disguise.
Thirdly, Joseph forgave his brothers out of love for his father. We
read that he finally let go of his hurts when he heard the pain and grief of
his father’s love for all his children. “You know that my wife bore me
two children. When one left me, I said that he must have been torn to
pieces. And I have not seen him to this day. If you take this one
from me too and any harm comes to him, you will send me down to Sheol with my
white head bowed in misery.” So too, Jesus came to die for us because of
His love for His Father who loves us all. He came to save us because of
His love for His Father. Jesus said, “I have other sheep that do not belong
to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So
there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father
loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one
takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from
my Father.” (Jn 10:16-18) For the greater love of someone, we will
find the strength to let go of our pain and hurts. How true it is that
often, siblings are reconciled at their parents’ deathbed, or because of their
parents. When they see their parents suffering because of their
separation, they make a decision to let go of the past and be reconciled.
This is also true sometimes of parents who are on the verge of divorce, but
because of the children, made a decision to work out the marriage together.
Fourthly, in our pain, we must never forget the blessings that God comes
to give us in other ways. Too often, we just focus on our
needs and hurts and forget that there are many other blessings which we have
taken for granted. Joseph remembered how the Lord stood by him in his
trials. The responsorial psalm says, “Remember the wonders the Lord has
done. His feet were put in chains, his neck was bound with iron, until what he
said came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true. Then the king sent
and released him the ruler of the people set him free, making him master of his
house and ruler of all he possessed.” In the gospel, Jesus reminds us,
“You received without charge, give without charge.” Since God has been
good to us, we must also extend His blessings to others and not keep them to
ourselves. And His blessings must be given to all, including our enemies. “But
I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so
that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on
the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the
unrighteous.” (Mt 5:44f)
Fifthly, let us never forget that we are called to proclaim the Good
News of the Kingdom. “As you go, proclaim that the
kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.” Indeed, we are called to heal
and to set our prisoners free, especially those who hate us and those who have
hurt us. We must show ourselves to be unlike them. We do not
retaliate, for that would make us no better than them. Jesus said, “But I
say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right
cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your
coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go
also the second mile.” (Mt 5:39-41)
In the final analysis, God provides and He is in control.
He said, “Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few
coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or
footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep.” We are called to
rely on Him alone. It is not our work. Let Him be the
judge. Let us do what we can and surrender the rest to him. There
is no need to be angry with those who are not responsive to our love and
overtures. This is what the Lord said, “Whatever town or village you go
into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As
you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace
descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you. And if
anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out
of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I tell you solemnly,
on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and
Gomorrah as with that town.” So we must trust in the Lord by letting go
of our past hurts so that we can use our wounds to heal those who are hurt and
unable to see the light.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh,
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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