As Friar Jude Winkler comments on the
passages from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today which tell of betrayal and
consequences we might be struck by decisions made which seem to be incredibly short
sighted. The Book of Genesis tells us that the love which Jacob had for Joseph
was greater than that he had for his others sons. The jealousy which prompted
his brothers to consider killing Joseph and led to his sale as a slave into Egypt
was either not visible to Jacob or was part of a cultural norm for fathers to declare
preference for individual children. The experience of depth of family love is
expressed by Susan Naatz of Creighton University as she reads this episode in
the life of Joseph. The hope that siblings will be life for one another is
shared by many parents. Friar Jude teases us with a synopsis of the how the
story of Joseph does become life giving for all the sons of Jacob. The ways of
the Divine perhaps are truly incredible and our growth is a call to be more
open to possibilities which, at first, seem unreal. The parable of the Wicked
Tenants from the Gospel of Matthew presents the incredible decision by the
tenants to kill the heir in anticipation that the property would become theirs.
The great self giving of the Heir, Jesus, is the forgiving offering of life to
humanity. Our behaviour as wicked tenants clamouring to accumulate the riches
for ourselves is brought to an incredible halt as Jesus invites us to be
brother, sister and heir forgiving our passion to serve self and offering us
Divine Presence in a universal and eternal family.
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