FIRST READING
“We are guilty concerning our brother; therefore is this distress come upon us.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a. 17-24a)
In those days: when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.” So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. Thus the sons of Israel came to Egypt to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was governor over the land; he it was who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers, and knew them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. And he put them all together in prison for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined in your prison, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us and we would not listen; therefore is this distress come upon us.” And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the lad? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. Then he turned away from them and wept.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 33:2-3. 10-11. 18-19 (R. 22)
R/. May your merciful love be upon us, as we hope in you, O Lord
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp;
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
O sing him a song that is new;
play skilfully, with shouts of joy. R.
The LORD frustrates the designs of the nations;
he defeats the plans of the peoples.
the designs of the LORD stand forever,
the plans of his heart from age to age. R.
R/. May your merciful love be upon us, as we hope in you, O Lord
Yes, the LORD’S eyes are on those who fear him,
who hope in his merciful love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine. R.
ALLELUIA Mark 1:15
Alleluia. The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Go to the lot sheep of the house of Israel.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 10:1:7)
At that time: Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
The Patriarch Joseph of the Old Testament is an archetype of Christ. He saved the people of Egypt from a deadly famine. Jesus saves the whole world from sin and death. Joseph was thrown in a well and later sold for money. Jesus too was misunderstood, rejected, sold for thirty silver pieces and was later killed, but was raised to victory, conquering sin and death and bringing life and salvation to the whole world. The apostles Jesus chooses and sends out in today’s gospel would also have the same saving mission of Jesus, proclaiming that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” In the process they too have to go through trials, sufferings, persecutions and even death for the sake of the Good News. But Christ’s power and his authority would accompany them every moment of their life.