Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Suffering Saves
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
Joseph suffered because his brothers were jealous. Yet, later, he would save them from famine. Jesus was rejected and died for our sins. He became the keystone for a new kingdom, for the life of all. And we?
We want happiness without pain, without paying the price for it, though sacrifice and happiness are close relatives. If the grain of wheat does not die… We know about this, but it’s too uncomfortable to put into practice unless we’re forced by circumstances …
Prayer
God, we do not want to die;
we want to live.
We want to be happy
but without paying the price.
We belong to our times,
when sacrifice and suffering are out of fashion.
God, make life worth the pain it takes to live.
Give us back the age-old realisation,
that life means to be born
again and again in pain,
that it may become again
a journey of hope to you,
together with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
First Reading
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
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.
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.
One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
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."
When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
"We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood," he continued,
"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright."
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.
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.
Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
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.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Alleluia Verse
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Prayers of the Faithful
– For those who are betrayed in their friendship and trust, we pray:
– For street children and young people abandoned and neglected by their families, we pray:
– For all those who suffer in their bodies and for those seriously ill, that they may find strength and consolation in the cross of our Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we celebrate your Son’s victory over death.
Through him you give us life
and teach us to accept death.
Lord, help us to love life
without refusing to suffer when necessary
for the sake of love and renewal.
May we see the fear of death
and the urge for life
in the light of the life and death
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, make us fully accept
the realities of life:
that there is no birth without pain,
no growth without effort,
no adulthood without struggle,
no wisdom without experience and practice.
God, raise us above ourselves,
that we may understand and accept
the wisdom of the cross
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Blessing
Joseph forgave his brothers and became a blessing to them. On the cross Jesus brought us forgiveness and life and a beautiful sign of this was how he forgave those who had led him to the cross. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
Matthew 21:33-43;45-46
God does not seek revenge
We have stories of victimisation today. In the first reading, Joseph is victimised and expelled by his own family. In the gospel, the owner’s agents and his own son are rejected and murdered—the story refers to Jesus himself.
To the question raised by Jesus as to the reaction of the owner of the vineyard,the audience responds in terms of the “law of karma”—They want the evil men to be brought to an evil end. But Jesus disagrees. He speaks not of an-eye-for-an-eye but of entrusting the vineyard to more responsible people and of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone for a new world!
Neither Joseph nor Jesus takes revenge; both become the cornerstones of the redemption of the very families that rejected them. This is why the Joseph episode was a mandatory reading for Easter in the early Syrian Christian liturgy.
The danger of chasing God's Son out of the vineyard continues today in our Church communities. Think of the challenges that confront the sacraments of marriage and family, debates on abortion, and many other issues – many in the Church prefer to follow the values of the world. Christ and his Gospel are regarded as outdated and old-fashioned, and many Christians choose to ignore them.
What is the result of throwing the Gospel out of our lives? There are wars, crimes, destruction of creation, despair and loneliness. This parable is addressed to us today. Open your eyes, recognise the Son, don’t throw him out of the vineyard – out of our lives.
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Matthew 21:33-43; 45-46
Recognising the True Owner of the Vineyard
In today’s fast-paced world, we often fall into the trap of believing that we are the sole masters of our lives. The parable of the vineyard reminds us of the truth – our lives are not our own. God has entrusted each of us with the gift of life, asking us to nurture it and bear fruits of love, justice, and compassion. Yet, pride can cloud our vision, leading us to act as owners rather than stewards. When we grasp tightly to control, we forget that everything we have – our talents, relationships, and even our very breath – is a gift from God.
Like the vineyard workers in the parable, we can become possessive and self-centred. Pride leads us to believe we have all the answers, luring us to disregard God’s messengers and His truth. How often do we dismiss the voices of those who correct us, or resist the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Our harsh words, stubborn hearts, and refusal to forgive can turn us into‘murderers’ in spirit, harming those around us and shutting out God’s grace.
Yet, even in our rebellion, God never ceases to reach out. His greatest gift is His Son, Jesus, who calls us back to Himself. The question is – will we welcome Him or cast Him out? When we choose to follow the fleeting values of the world rather than the Gospel, we risk expelling Christ from our hearts.
Today, God invites us to reflect on our role as stewards. Are we cultivating the vineyard of our lives with justice, mercy, and love? Let us turn to Jesus with humility, offering our gains and our failures. He is always ready to forgive and guide us. May we open our hearts, recognise the true Owner, and bear the fruits that give life to the world.