HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME. (2)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME.

THEME: JOSEPH WEPT!

BY: Benedict Agbo (Rev Fr)

* Gen 44: 18 – 45: 5, Matt 10: 7 – 15.

Permit me to go further with the discussion on the parallelism between Joseph’s story and Jesus’ story. Joseph’s story continues in today’s 1st reading and climaxes at the point where he wept. Joseph wept at the imagination of the level of pain and sorrow his people especially his father suffered because of the imaginary story of his death. Jesus wept for the first time when he saw the pain that people felt over the imaginary death of his friend Lazarus yet he told them that Lazarus (and indeed all friends of Jesus) is not dead but asleep. Joseph revealed himself to them at that point just as Jesus brought back Lazarus to life after he wept and prayed. The next moment Jesus wept was at his passion. The climax of the passion story is the prayerful cry: ‘Eloi eloi, lama sabaktani’. At that point, the mercy of God was released for the salvation of mankind.

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As Joseph forgave his brothers after he wept with these words: ‘Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here’, Jesus also told us: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled (about your sins and the sins of your ancestors), believe in God and believe also in me. In my father’s house there are many rooms’, Jn 14: 1 – 3. His message in today’s gospel is that the kingdom of God is at hand. By his sufferings and tears, peace and healing has been restored in the lives of sinners who believe in him. God looks not on our sins anymore but on the faith of his Church. Mercy and salvation have been freely given and must be freely received. May God bless you today!

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