March 1, Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Daily Readings: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Joseph is Jacob's beloved son, born of old age, but for his brothers, he is just a dreamer who deserves to die for one reason. Jacob loves him more than anyone else. His brothers hate him and conspire to kill him. Reuben manages to save him for a while by throwing Joseph in the dry well, but God's will takes him to Egypt with the help of the Ishmaelites, who buy him twenty pieces of silver.
What is notable here is God's great plan to bring Joseph to Egypt, utilizing the anger and hatred of Joseph's brothers. In all these awful events, Joseph remains silent. He does not speak a word. That is his strength. What are the readers' understandings of this text? Anger, when it goes uncontrolled, can take away one’s life at any cost. Their anger is not justifiable. This anger is an offshoot of jealousy and hatred that come from insecurity. In today’s context, parents have to be careful when they express their love to their children. Loving one child more than the other can create murderers and criminals in society. We have numerous examples of children killing their parents.
On the famous Palm Sunday, Jesus makes a solemn entry into David's citadel. When he enters the temple, the need arises to cleanse it and re-establish the place's holiness, the house of prayer. The next day, Jesus curses the fig tree, which symbolizes the lack of faith of the people of Israel. The chief priest and elders question his authority. It is at this juncture that Jesus comes up with the parables of the two sons and the parable of the wicked tenants, which is today’s Gospel reading.
Matthew reports that at the end of the parable, the chief priests and the Pharisees hear it and realize that Jesus is speaking about them, their cruelty in dealing with the people of Israel, and their egoistic tendencies. They want to arrest him. These religious leaders act like Joseph's brothers, who are filled with jealousy and hatred.
Call to Action for Catholic Living: How should I respond when anger and hatred overwhelm me?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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