"(Click here for readings)"
"Jesus said to his Apostles: "As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'...Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick."
So what exactly were the Apostles to take with them on their journey? "The Lord." How would He sustain them? "With His grace." How would they receive it? "By means of faith, hope and love. "
I was often sent to distant and foreign lands throughout my nearly twenty years with the Legionaries of Christ. I traveled light, very light; that is, I traveled with one suitcase and no more than forty or fifty dollars in my wallet. Today, I shake my head in disbelief! "How could I have been so naive? How could I have been so idealistic? "Then, I shake my head in amazement at how I always made it to my destination. How I never needed anything more than what I had.
Amazing! How can this be? "Only by God's grace. "
So often I would complain to my superiors, who almost always traveled with credit cards. I thought it was so unfair and selfish. Don't get me wrong, it was. But like so many curses in life, we can look back on them and consider them to be enormous blessings!
"I AM YOUR BROTHER JOSEPH." From today's first reading passage (Gen 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5), the Church invites us to reflect on Joseph's near death experience brought about by the hands of his very own brothers. Yes, His very own brothers! Out of jealousy they betrayed him and left him for dead. Out of greed they sold him for some silver (sound familiar). Out of sheer evilness they left him starving and alone.
Now, they found themselves starving and alone. Out of necessity, they went to Egypt looking for some help.
"The Lord has abandoned me. He has forgotten about me. He doesn't exist. He doesn't care. "Are these sentiments unfamiliar to us? Of course not. We have all thought these things while traversing difficult moments in our lives. Was Joseph thinking these evil thoughts while he was in the hands of his brothers and then captors? Probably not, for his faith was strong. His conviction of his own righteousness was clear. He knew he did not desire such treatment.
Again, what sustained Joseph during these dark days? What sustained the Apostles during their darkest moments? "The Lord." How can we receive Him? "Through faith, hope and love."
By remaining faithful, Joseph learned an incredible lesson, a lesson not only taught by God but also lived by God: "Never lose your faith, hope and love, for the Lord is actually prepping you, directing you; in fact, he is "sending you" ahead of others to save lives. "
"Joseph could no longer control himself in the presence of all his attendants, so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!" Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers. But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him, and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace. "I am Joseph," he said to his brothers...His brothers could give him no answer, so dumbfounded were they at him. "Come closer to me," he told his brothers. "I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you."
They could not believe their ears! Joseph could not believe what he was saying! After so many years, he finally understood. "His curse had been a blessing!"
"LESSON FOR TODAY." God has the power to convert curses into blessings; sin to grace; a sinner into a Saint. But He also has the humility and love to allow humans to pick their course (use their free will), run their course (live their lives) but then change the finish line.
Like Jesus, Joseph appeared to be the loser. Instead, they both turned out to be their brothers Savior.
