Daily Retreat 07/10/09
2009 Jul 10 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
Gn 46:1-7. 28-30/ Ps 36(37):3-4. 18-19. 27-28. 39-40/ Mt 10:16-23
From today’s readings:“I am God, the God of your father.... The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.... Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”
Jacob and Joseph
The book of Genesis traces our earliest family history. As can clearly be seen in the lives of those first patriarchs, God’s initiative and providence provide the thread of continuity which holds history together, but each individual’s response to God’s grace is also an essential ingredient.
Approaching the end of his life, Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) has an unquenchable desire to see his son Joseph again - the fulfillment of a dream for which he had given up hope! And yet, Jacob first takes the time to thank God with his sacrifices and consult Him to see if the journey to Egypt is in accord with the divine will. Of course, God confirms this, and re-iterates the cumulative promise to the patriarchs to make of them a great nation.
In his earlier discussions with his brothers, Joseph betrays how much he missed his father Jacob and how eager he was for news of him. And yet, rather than casting aside his responsibilities and leaving Egypt immediately to see his father in his homeland, Joseph realizes that his current vocation as vizier in Egypt is serving God in an indispensable way. So, instead, Joseph sends for Jacob and then has that tender reunion with him near the border of Egypt in Goshen.
And so both Jacob and Joseph clearly put their faith and God first, but still clearly affirm the importance of family, and that attitude can be summed up as one of the greatest lessons of Genesis!
Gn 46:1-7. 28-30/ Ps 36(37):3-4. 18-19. 27-28. 39-40/ Mt 10:16-23
From today’s readings:“I am God, the God of your father.... The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.... Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”
Jacob and Joseph
The book of Genesis traces our earliest family history. As can clearly be seen in the lives of those first patriarchs, God’s initiative and providence provide the thread of continuity which holds history together, but each individual’s response to God’s grace is also an essential ingredient.
Approaching the end of his life, Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) has an unquenchable desire to see his son Joseph again - the fulfillment of a dream for which he had given up hope! And yet, Jacob first takes the time to thank God with his sacrifices and consult Him to see if the journey to Egypt is in accord with the divine will. Of course, God confirms this, and re-iterates the cumulative promise to the patriarchs to make of them a great nation.
In his earlier discussions with his brothers, Joseph betrays how much he missed his father Jacob and how eager he was for news of him. And yet, rather than casting aside his responsibilities and leaving Egypt immediately to see his father in his homeland, Joseph realizes that his current vocation as vizier in Egypt is serving God in an indispensable way. So, instead, Joseph sends for Jacob and then has that tender reunion with him near the border of Egypt in Goshen.
And so both Jacob and Joseph clearly put their faith and God first, but still clearly affirm the importance of family, and that attitude can be summed up as one of the greatest lessons of Genesis!
posted by FrPitstick | 7/07/2009
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