1ST READING
Joseph’s
brothers treated him terribly but at least they drew the line when
faced with the choice of killing him or letting him live. There is still
some mercy and compassion in some of the brothers. After all, it is not
his fault that their father, Isaac (Israel), favors him. We will be
faced with the temptation to envy or be jealous of others at some time
in our lives. Let us pray that we can simply accept that each of us are
different and, thus, have different talents and circumstances to deal
with.
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28
3 Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. 4 When
his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they
hated him so much that they would not even greet him. 12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem, 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your
brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them.” 17 So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan. 18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him. 19 They said to one another: “Here comes that master dreamer! 20 Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could
say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams.” 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: “We must not take his life. 22 Instead
of shedding blood,” he continued, “just throw him into that cistern
there in the desert; but don’t kill him outright.” His purpose was to
rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on; 24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry. 25 They
then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of
Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and
resin to be taken down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers: “What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood? 27 Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His
brothers agreed. 28 They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
P S A L M
Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
R: Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
16 When he called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them, 17 he sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave. (R) 18 They had weighed him down with fetters, and he was bound with chains, 19 till his prediction came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true. (R) 20 The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free. 21 He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions. (R)
GOSPEL
Wealth
and fame can be very attractive. We may be tempted to sin in order to
gain them. But what sort of satisfaction will we gain from the results
of sin? Let us seek to live holy and just lives. It is OK to work for a
better material life, but let us remember that this is not the be-all
and end-all of life. Eternal life with God is far more important.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
33 Jesus
said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another
parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge
around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it
to tenants and went on a journey. 34 When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 35 But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. 36
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ 39 They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” 41 They
answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and
lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the
proper times.” 42 Jesus
said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that
the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this
been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’ 43 Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken
away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
think: It
is OK to work for a better material life, but let us remember that this
is not the be-all and end-all of life. Eternal life with God is far
more important.
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
____________________________________
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Genesis 25-27
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