20210710 HUMAN ASSURANCE MUST BE BACKED UP BY DIVINE ASSURANCE
10 July, 2021, Saturday, 14th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Genesis 49:29-33,50:15-26 © |
'God has turned the evil you planned into good'
Jacob gave his sons these instructions, ‘I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me near my fathers, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial-plot. There Abraham was buried and his wife Sarah. There Isaac was buried and his wife Rebekah. There I buried Leah. I mean the field and the cave in it that were bought from the sons of Heth.’
When Jacob had finished giving his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, and breathing his last was gathered to his people.
Seeing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph intends to treat us as enemies and repay us in full for all the wrong we did him?’ So they sent this message to Joseph: ‘Before your father died he gave us this order: “You must say to Joseph: Oh forgive your brothers their crime and their sin and all the wrong they did you.” Now therefore, we beg you, forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.’ Joseph wept at the message they sent to him.
His brothers came themselves and fell down before him. ‘We present ourselves before you’ they said ‘as your slaves.’ But Joseph answered them, ‘Do not be afraid; is it for me to put myself in God’s place? The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been turned to good, that he might bring about, as indeed he has, the deliverance of a numerous people. So you need not be afraid; I myself will provide for you and your dependants.’ In this way he reassured them with words that touched their hearts.
So Joseph stayed in Egypt with his father’s family; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children, as also the children of Machir, Manasseh’s son, who were born on Joseph’s lap. At length Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die; but God will be sure to remember you kindly and take you back from this country to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ And Joseph made Israel’s sons swear an oath, ‘When God remembers you with kindness be sure to take my bones from here.’
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten; they embalmed him and laid him in his coffin in Egypt.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-7 © |
Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
Gospel Acclamation | 1Jn2:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,
God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1P4:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is a blessing for you
when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,
for the Spirit of God rests on you.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 10:24-33 © |
Everything now hidden will be made clear
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household?
‘Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.
‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.
‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
HUMAN ASSURANCE MUST BE BACKED UP BY DIVINE ASSURANCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Gn 49:29-33; 50:15-26; Ps 105:1-4,6-7; Mt 10:24-33]
We all have to go through many trials in life. Assurance is what will sustain us. In times of difficulties, especially with regard to our health, career or business, we need assurance that God will see us through. We also need assurance from our loved ones and bosses that they will support us all the way and not abandon us. But there will also be times when we have failed our loved ones and our bosses, betrayed their trust and confidence. We are genuinely sorry and also need assurance that we are forgiven. At the other end of the spectrum, those who are asked to offer forgiveness need assurance that those who hurt us have really repented and are truly contrite for their mistakes and will not betray them again.
This was the case of Jacob in today’s first reading. He needed assurance from his sons that after his death, he would be buried near to his fathers “in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial-plot.” This would be a confirmation that God was faithful to his grandfather, Abraham, his father, Isaac and to him. Although all three patriarchs of Israel did not yet possess the entire land of Canaan as promised to them, by being buried in the land of Canaan, it anticipates a time would come when their children and children’s children would inherit the Promised Land.
This was fulfilled accordingly as God assured Jacob earlier on. “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph’s own hand shall close your eyes.” (Gn 46:3f) So upon his death, Jacob was buried with dignity and with honour. After all, it was the death of the father of Joseph, whose wisdom and rule saved the Egyptians from starving and strengthened the power of Pharaoh over his people as he had greater control over the land in Egypt since many of them sold their land to buy the grains. This explains why Pharaoh rendered such honour for Joseph’s father. His body was embalmed and brought back to Canaan after 70 days. The funeral cortege started in Egypt with all the pomp befitting that of a great man. It was a lengthy procession of all Egyptian statesmen and dignitaries, followed by Jacob’s children and grandchildren, and then the chariots and horsemen.
The brothers of Joseph also needed assurance after the death of their father that their brother had forgiven them. With the passing of their father, they were afraid that Joseph might not be so kind to them and might even take revenge on them for the evil deed they had done to him. Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph intends to treat us as enemies and repay us in full for all the wrong we did him?” So they used their father as their shield, knowing that Joseph would not disobey their father. They sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died he gave us this order: ‘You must say to Joseph: Oh forgive your brothers their crime and their sin and all the wrong they did you.’ Now therefore, we beg you, forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.'”
We read that “Joseph wept at the message they sent to him.” Why did he weep? Firstly, the brothers had not really repented. They were acting more out of fear and need rather than a real contrition of heart. Their repentance was not from their heart but forced by circumstances. By sending him the purported message from their father, it revealed once again their dishonesty. They had not truly changed. But Joseph was understanding. He knew that they still could not trust him because they could not trust themselves. They did not truly believe that Joseph had forgiven them completely and from his heart. They thought that Joseph was good to them on account of their father only. Now that the father was gone, Joseph would no longer treat them well. So it was out of fear that they came to Joseph, “fell down before him. ‘We present ourselves before you’ they said ‘as your slaves.'”
Indeed, quite often forgiveness is never complete, not so much because our sins or mistakes have not been forgiven. Rather, it is the inability on the part of the sinner to receive that forgiveness because of the lack of faith and trust. This is particularly so in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Even though the Confessor on behalf of God has forgiven the sins of the penitent, he or she only hears the words of forgiveness but does not truly believe it in his or her heart. As a consequence, no real healing takes place and the person remains wounded, fearful and unforgiven. So it was in the case of the brothers of Joseph. They could not forgive themselves even though Joseph had repeatedly assured them.
But what gave Joseph that capacity to forgive so freely and genuinely? This was because he received God’s assurance of His love for him and His divine plan being fulfilled in Him through both his mistakes and the good he had done. This was how Joseph assured his brothers. “Do not be afraid; is it for me to put myself in God’s place? The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been turned to good, that he might bring about, as indeed he has, the deliverance of a numerous people. So, you need not be afraid; I myself will provide for you and your dependents.” Joseph understood how the divine plan of God had unfolded in his life, from his father who favoured him when he was young, his boastfulness about his authority over the brothers, causing them to be jealous of him and eventually seeking to get rid of him. He saw God’s providential plan in him being sold to the Egyptian official who later put him in prison because he was framed by Potiphar’s wife. And it was in prison that God gave him the power to interpret the dreams of the Cup-bearer and the Baker accurately, leading him to be introduced to Pharaoh. So it was in God’s plan for all these things to happen. God uses our mistakes and sins to bring good out of them. Joseph was realizing the promise of God to Abraham that he would be a blessing to all. “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gn 12:31) “In this way he reassured them with words that touched their hearts.”
Now it was the turn of Joseph who needed assurance from God that when his time came, he too would be brought back to Canaan. Joseph said to his brothers, “‘I am about to die; but God will be sure to remember you kindly and take you from this country to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ And Joseph made Israel’s sons swear an oath, ‘When God remembers you with kindness be sure to take my bones from here.’ Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten; they embalmed him and laid him in his coffin in Egypt.” The age of 110 was considered a blessed life in Egypt and a testimony that God was with him. His dying words hold great significance for Israel. God would bring them back to Canaan, for this was their Promised Land. When Moses delivered them from Egypt, he “took the bones of Joseph with him (Ex 13:19) and Joshua buried him in Shechem in the territory of his son Manasseh but near to the border of Ephraim. (Jos 24:32) Joseph’s faith in God had not been in vain for God was gracious to Him and kept His word to him and his fathers.
In the gospel, Jesus gave the same assurance to His disciples who would be slandered and persecuted. He said the same thing, “Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. Do not be afraid of those that kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.” Most of all, Jesus assures us that “if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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