COMMON OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

He reassured them.

Joseph’s brothers were afraid. Now that their father, Jacob, had died, would Joseph exact revenge for the way they had mistreated and betrayed him? They were so worried that they probably even lied when they said that Jacob had instructed them to plead for Joseph’s forgiveness on his behalf.

Given their fears, Joseph’s brothers were probably more than surprised by his emotional, tear-filled response. He had already forgiven them when he revealed his identity to them (Genesis 45:2; 50:17). Joseph wasn’t harboring any resentment toward them. On the contrary, he saw God’s mysterious hand at work through their misdeeds (50:20).

So why did Joseph’s brothers think he would exact retribution as soon as their father was gone? One reason might have been that, like many of us, they believed that justice demanded it. No evil deed should ever go unpunished, not even their own.

This way of thinking can cause us to doubt whether God has truly forgiven us, even after we have already celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation and have been absolved of our sins. We might think to ourselves, Why wouldn’t God hold this sin against me—and want to punish me for it? The truth is that God’s abundant, overflowing mercy turns our natural sense of justice on its head. In fact, mercy is the way he makes things right. It is at the heart of divine justice.

If Joseph could show such mercy to his brothers, how much more will God be merciful to us! In fact, Joseph’s response foreshadowed the mercy that God would show us in Jesus.

So when you read this passage from Genesis today, imagine Jesus himself with tears of joy in his eyes as he looks at you with love and mercy. Let him kindly reassure you, as Joseph did with his brothers, that he has truly forgiven your every sin—even the ones you are most ashamed of.

“Father, help me to remember that your forgiveness lasts forever.”

Psalm 105:1-4, 6-7
Matthew 10:24-33
Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26

WORD AMONG US