Genesis 49:29-32.50:15-26a.
Jacob gave his sons this charge: "Since I am
about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies
in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing
on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the
Hittite for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah--
the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites."
Now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became fearful and thought, "Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!"
So they approached Joseph and said: "Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
'You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers, who treated you so cruelly.' Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we, the servants of your father's God, committed." When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said, "Let us be your slaves!"
But Joseph replied to them: "Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children." By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim's children to the third generation, and the children of Manasseh's son Machir were also born on Joseph's knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, "When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place."
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. He was embalmed and laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah--
the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites."
Now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became fearful and thought, "Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!"
So they approached Joseph and said: "Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
'You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers, who treated you so cruelly.' Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we, the servants of your father's God, committed." When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said, "Let us be your slaves!"
But Joseph replied to them: "Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children." By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim's children to the third generation, and the children of Manasseh's son Machir were also born on Joseph's knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, "When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place."
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. He was embalmed and laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt.
Ps 105(104):1-2.3-4.6-7.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke His name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to Him, sing His praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in His holy name;
Rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
Seek to serve Him constantly.
You descendants of Abraham, His servants,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
Throughout the earth His judgments prevail.
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to Him, sing His praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in His holy name;
Rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
Seek to serve Him constantly.
You descendants of Abraham, His servants,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
Throughout the earth His judgments prevail.
Matt 10:24-33.
Jesus said to His Apostles: “No disciple is above
his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he
become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they
have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his
household!
Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
Commentary of the day :
By now, you would have heard that I received many threats of physical violence as a result of making my allegations about the widespread hypocrisy pervaded by members of the Catholic hierarchy. I admit that these threats were frightening in their violence and in their frequency. I didn’t know who or where these people came from or whether they were likely to be realised. I didn’t wait around to find out either.
But prior to being a married person with a baby on the way, I didn’t worry about death. I
actually welcomed it. I wanted to go to Heaven and I thought being a martyr was
a fast tracking of that desire. However, having a future to look forward to and
people who depend on you, makes you wonder about the inevitability of eternal
happiness.
Trusting in Jesus however assures me that I should
not limit my activity because I fear punishment because that would indicate a
lack of trust in God’s ability to protect me from danger.
This Gospel is an encouragement to those who live
their life according to Jesus’ message of hope. Even if people oppose you or
don’t understand the priorities that you have adopted, He is to be your model
and guide. If He has suffered, you can expect you will experience suffering
too. Trust in God’s ability to help you endure that suffering because you are
worth more than many sparrows.
Letter of the church of Smyrna concerning the
martyrdom of Saint Polycarp (69-155), Bishop
(trans. cf breviary 23/02)
(trans. cf breviary 23/02)
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul"
They did not nail Polycarp, but only tied him up. And so he was bound, putting his arms behind his back, like a noble ram taken from a large flock for sacrifice, a burnt offering acceptable to and made ready for God. Then he gazed up to heaven and said: “O Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed child Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, God of the angels and the powers and of all creation, God of the whole race of the righteous who live in your sight: I bless you, for you have thought me worthy of this day and hour to share the cup of your Christ, as one of your martyrs, to rise again to eternal life in body and soul in the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be taken up today into your presence among your martyrs, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, in the manner you have prepared and have revealed, and have now brought to fulfillment, for you are the God of truth... And so also I praise you for all things; I bless and glorify you through our eternal high priest in heaven (Heb 4,14), in your beloved child, Jesus Christ, through whom be glory to you and to him and to the Holy Spirit, now and for the ages to come. Amen.”
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