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| Joseph was Israel's favorite. |
“Get Ready”
Israel said to Joseph, “Are your brothers not tending our flocks at Shechem? Come and I will send you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph answered. “Go then,” he replied; “see if all is well with your brothers and the flocks, and bring back word.” So, he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. Genesis 37:13-14
Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. Matthew 21:42-43
Piety
“Close Every Door” by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Close every door to me
Hide all the world from me
Bar all the windows
And shut out the light
Do what you want with me
Hate me and laugh at me
Darken my daytime
And torture my night
If my life were important I
Would ask will I live or die
But I know the answers lie
Far from this world
Close every door to me
Keep those I love from me
Children of Israel
Are never alone
For I know I shall find
My own peace of mind
For I have been promised
A land of my own
Study
In the annals of Bible-based rock-operas, some people might place “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in third place behind “Godspell” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Yet this cross-over used scripture and contemporary music before those other shows. Like its cousins, it opened the door to the Bible and raised the curtain to a certain now graying generation of Hippies for God.
The story of Joseph has all the elements of a major drama just like the Passion. Love. Hate. Loyalty. Betrayal. Obstacles to overcome. Add the unexpected denouement and we have a lesson in how love overcomes all.
Today, we ponder just the beginning of the story and how appropriate as we inch our way to the halfway point in Lent. Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons. (Genesis 37:3). The other sons were jealous but that did not matter to the father. He commanded Joseph: “Get ready; I will send you to them.”
Joseph faced rejection at the hands of his family. Jesus faced rejection at the hands of his own priests and betrayal and denial from his closest friends. How they handled rejection and still responded in love and humility holds a lesson for our Lenten journey.
Action
“Get ready.” This is our commandment for Lent. We turn to fasting, prayer and almsgiving to get ready for the Triduum and the ultimate victory of love. By looking after our sisters and brothers in a Joseph-like fashion, we can get ready for the road ahead, no matter what obstacles we face and what imprisons us. We are willing to accept such sacrifice because we know we are promised a land of our own.
Image: Joseph and Baby Jesus by Jen Norton and available through https://fineartamerica.com/featured/st-joseph-and-baby-jesus-jen-norton.html
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