Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - Fourteenth Wednesday in Ordinary Time
[Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7A; 17:24A and Matthew 10:1-7]"Alas, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has now come upon us." Reuben broke in, "Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy? But you would not listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood."
In a breathtaking leap, the lectionary moves to a late position in the story of Joseph! Lots of people know the story not so much from the bible as from the musical, JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAM COAT! Joseph is sold into slavery by his older brothers because he bugs them about his dreams. But Joseph rises from slavery to a position in Egypt that puts him in charge of food distribution. When famine hits the promised land, his brothers come to Egypt looking for food and unbeknownst to them, they wind up dealing with their little brother, whom THEY do not recognize but HE recognizes THEM. You'll have to wait till tomorrow for the exciting "denouement" of the story. For the time being, I want to note two things. First of all, dreamers live a precarious life, especially when their dreams are threatening to other people. (However, notice in the Gospel of Matthew how Joseph, husband of Mary, gets things done on the basis of dreams!). Second, Reuben's "I told you not to do it!" should find an echo in our own experience. We ignore warnings from "party poopers" who stand in the way of our getting rid of pesky people, only to find ourselves beholden to the persons we got rid of! It's hard to know who to dislike more: the "party pooper" or the now-superior pesky person we didn't want anything to do with! Joseph will give them all reasons to be grateful and in the process will demonstrate the power of mercy. Read the whole "Joseph story" (chaps 37, 39-46) and see the range of human emotion and faith. No wonder the musical was a hit! AMEN
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