“We Place our Trust in You” by Colleen O’Sullivan
To one another, however, they said: "Alas, we are being punished because of
our brother. We saw the anguish of his
heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; that is why this anguish
has now come upon us." Reuben broke
in, "Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy? But you would not listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood." The brothers did not know, of course, that
Joseph understood what they said since he spoke with them through an
interpreter. But turning away from them,
he wept. (Genesis
42:21-24a)
Piety
But
see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for
his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. (Psalm 33:18-19)
Study
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| Jacob Willemsz de Wet, Joseph Selling Grain in Egypt (1640s), National Museum, Warsaw, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons |
As Joseph is getting dressed
for another long day of distributing grain to the hungry in the time of drought
and famine, he reflects on his life to this point: Lord, this is going to be another grueling
day. Everyone is hungry. Some people are on the brink of starvation. I thank you for giving me the wisdom to store
supplies of grain for this day. Actually,
I have much more than that to be thankful for.
Joseph sits down again. I can often scarcely believe that I am
second in command to Pharaoh. You have certainly
brought me a long way from that boy tossed in the cistern by his brothers. I honestly believed they were going to kill
me. Sometimes I wonder how they all are.
I wish I could see my father if he is even still alive. Looking back, I really can’t blame my
brothers for despising me. I was a total
twit when I was young, and my father didn’t help the situation. Always doting on me, spoiling me, spending
time with me. I think giving me that special
coat was the last straw for my brothers.
None of them got anything from my dad.
But still, I sometimes wonder
if they really would have killed me if it weren’t for Reuben having a
conscience. What they did was terrible,
selling me into slavery to some Midianites.
But maybe that was your way of saving me from death. Then the Midianites sold me to a caravan of
Ishmaelites. And eventually, I ended up a
slave in the household of that wealthy merchant Potiphar. That wouldn’t have been a bad job at all if
it weren’t for his wife. She couldn’t
keep her hands off me, and when I didn’t respond, she got even with me by
crying rape.
I thought I was a goner
then, too. I got tossed into the prison
where Pharaoh’s former cupbearer and baker were being held. You used them as
instruments to get me out of a potentially terrible situation. But, with your
help, I was able to correctly interpret their dreams, which led to me being
able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams about this drought and time of hunger. The ruler of Egypt put me in charge of
implementing my plan to save up grain supplies for this very day. And now we can feed the hungry. Well, Lord, the long lines await me. I’d better get going.
Later that day, Joseph
sees and hears his brothers seeking food.
Everyone in the area, not just the Egyptians, was hungry. They don’t recognize Joseph, but they are
talking about him and what a terrible thing they did to him. He hears
he has a younger brother whom he’s never met.
Later, he reflects on this day: As
they came to the front of the line, I remembered my childhood dream about the
sheaves of wheat bowing down to me.
Maybe revealing that, rather than the coat, marked the end for me. But here they are, all these many years later,
bowing down before me in person. I have
an overwhelming desire to meet this Benjamin.
So, I made a deal with them.
Leave one brother locked up here, take the grain I offered and food for
the journey and come back with this youngest brother in tow. Lord, I had to hide my face. I was overcome with emotion and tears. I never thought I’d see any of them
again. And here they are, sorry for what
they did. You have truly led me on a twisting,
winding path through life, but always to a renewed and better life. I praise you and thank you from the bottom of
my heart.
Action
Potential murder victim. Slave. Falsely accused rapist. Prisoner.
Interpreter of dreams. Second in command
to Pharaoh. Joseph’s life has taken many
twists, and at every turn, we can see the hand of God saving him from disaster
and leading him to something better.
When you are praying today,
take a few minutes to consider the trajectory of your own life. Can you see where God has been at work,
bringing you to this very moment? Look
for the graces along your life’s path and give thanks.
THANK YOU: I sincerely want to thank Wayne Miller, Phil
Russell, Beth DeCristofaro, Sam Miller and Tony DeCristofaro for covering the Daily
Tripods for the last five Wednesdays while I was attending classes in spiritual
direction at Creighton University, a Jesuit university in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s a graduate course of study that takes
place over three summers, with a year of practicum between the second and third
summers. I could never have kept up with
all the reading and paper writing if it weren’t for these five individuals
taking the time to write some extra Tripods while I was studying, and I am very
grateful they were willing to help me out!
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