March 21, 2025
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Lectionary: 234
Reading 1
Genesis
37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
"We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood," he continued,
"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright."
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.
They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Verse Before the Gospel
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
Gospel
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the
people:
""Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he
comes?""
They answered him,
""He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.""
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.""
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032125.cfm
Commentary on
Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28
There is a strong parallel between the stories of Joseph and
Jesus in today’s readings. In both cases the words quoted from the Psalm apply:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone. (Ps 118:22)
Joseph is the favourite of Jacob’s twelve sons, the sons who
would later become the patriarchs of God’s people. His brothers became jealous
of him and grew to hate him. They hated him even more for the dreams he told.
In one of these, he said he had a vision of the family bringing in the harvest.
In the dream, all his brothers’ sheaves bowed down before Joseph’s sheaf. This,
of course, did happen later when the brothers came to Egypt during a time of
famine in search of food. Unknown to them at first, Joseph was the grand vizier
of Egypt in whose presence they paid homage.
In today’s reading, when Joseph, at the instructions of his
father, went to visit his brothers in the fields, they conceived a plot to kill
him. However, one of the brothers, Reuben, intervened and suggested instead
that Joseph be thrown down a dry well, hoping to give him back to their father
later. Reuben was the eldest son, but later fell out of favour after committing
incest with his father’s concubine. Judah subsequently took over leadership of
the family. The other brothers agreed to Reuben’s suggestion because they did
not want to have the blood of their own brother on their hands. Perhaps they
remembered what happened to Cain.
Eventually Joseph is either sold to Ishmaelites on their way
to do business in Egypt or discovered in the well by Midianites and sold for 20
pieces of silver to traders on their way to Egypt. In later times, this sum was
the value of a male of Joseph’s age who had been dedicated to the Lord (see Lev
27:5). The father is later told that his son has died from an attack by animals
and is given back, as proof, the famous multi-coloured coat stained with
(goat’s) blood.
Joseph should have ended up in obscurity as a slave in Egypt
but, thanks to his ability to interpret dreams, he was to win the favour of the
Pharaoh and become the chief minister in Egypt and ultimately the saviour of
his own people from famine—a famine which Joseph had foretold and helped to
prepare for.
The story prepares us for the coming of Jesus, who is
clearly the son in the parable featured in today’s Gospel. Jesus, too, was a
man of ‘dreams’, with a vision of life which was rejected by many close to him.
He, too, was sold into the hands of enemies precisely because of that, to
become the saviour of his own people.
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Commentary on
Matthew 21:33-43,45-46
Today’s Gospel is a parable spoken to the unbelieving chief
priests and elders of the people. It is the history of the Israelite people
told in parable form. In fact, it is more of an allegory than a parable, as
each of the persons and incidents described point to real people and real
events. Some scholars think that what we have here is really an early Church
document, rather than something directly from Jesus. What may be more likely is
that a parable spoken by Jesus has been modified in the light of later events.
The owner of the vineyard is clearly God. The vineyard is
the house of Israel, where God’s people are to be found. The tenants of the
vineyard are the people of God.
Servants sent to collect the harvest are abused in various
ways—beaten, killed or stoned. The servants represent the prophets and other
spokespersons sent by God to his people, many of whom were rejected, not
listened to and even abused.
Finally, the owner decides to send his son, saying:
They will respect my son.
On the contrary, the tenants rationalized that, if they got
rid of the son, they could take over the whole vineyard for themselves. They
could carry on without the owner.
So they seized the son, threw him out of the vineyard and
killed him. This is a clear reference to Jesus’ being crucified outside the
walls of Jerusalem.
And what will the king do then? Jesus asks. The leaders
condemn themselves by answering the question: “He will put those wretches to a
miserable death”—just as happened when the city of Jerusalem was totally
destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Instead, the vineyard is let out to new tenants—those Jews
and Gentiles, the new people of God, who believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
The stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone. Jesus says:
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken
away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits.
This is one of only two instances where Matthew uses the
term ‘Kingdom of God’ rather than ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. The Gentiles had for
long been rejected as unbelievers and outsiders. Now, it is on them, together
with those Jews who accepted Jesus, that the Kingdom will be built.
The Gospel ends by commenting that the unbelieving priests
and elders understood his message perfectly, but because of Jesus’ popularity
with the people, they could do nothing in retaliation for the moment.
Again and again it has happened in world history that
fighters for truth and justice have been rejected, jailed and tortured, but
eventually found themselves the saviours of their people. Let us make sure that
we are listening to the right people—the people who have the message of truth,
love and justice—and that we follow them. Jesus, our Saviour, still speaks
through his followers.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/l1026g/
Friday, March 21, 2025
Season of Lent
Opening Prayer
God, we do not want to die; we want to live.
We want to be happy but without paying the price. We belong
to our times, when sacrifice and suffering are out of fashion. God, make our
life worth living. Give us back the age-old realization, that life means to be
born again and again in pain, that it may become again a journey of hope to
You, together with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 21: 33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and
the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who
planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a
tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time
drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the
tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third
they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they
said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his
inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those
tenants when he comes?" They answered him, “He will put those wretched men
to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him
the produce at the proper times." 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." When the chief priests and
the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for
they regarded him as a prophet.
Reflection
The text of today’s Gospel forms part of a
greater whole which includes Mathew 21: 23-40. The chief priests and the elders
had asked Jesus by what authority He did those things (Mt 21: 23). They
considered themselves the custodians of everything and they did not want
anybody to do things without their permission. Jesus’ answer is divided into
three parts:
•
1) He, in turn, asks them a question because He
wants to know, in their opinion, if John the Baptist was from heaven or from
earth (Mt 21: 24-
27);
•
2) He then tells them the parable of the two
sons (Mt 21: 28-32);
•
3) He tells them the parable of the vineyard (Mt
21: 33-46), which is today’s Gospel.
•
Matthew 21: 33-40: The parable of the vineyard.
Jesus begins as follows: “Listen to another parable: There was a man, a
landowner, who planted a vineyard, he fenced it around, dug a winepress in it
and built a tower.” The parable is a beautiful summary of the history of
Israel, taken from the prophet Isaiah (Is 5: 1-7). Jesus addresses Himself to
the chief priests, to the elders (Mt 21: 23) and to the Pharisees (Mt 21: 45)
and He gives a response to the question which they addressed to Him about the
origin of His authority (Mt 21: 23). Through this parable, Jesus clarifies
several things:
•
(a) He reveals the origin of His authority: He
is the Son, the heir;
•
(b) He denounces the abuse of the authority of
the tenants, that is of the priests and elders who were not concerned and did
not take care of the people of God;
•
(c) He defends the authority of the prophets,
sent by God, but who were killed by the priests and the elders;
•
(d) He unmasks the authority by which they
manipulate the religion and kill the Son, because they do not want to lose the
source of income which they have accumulated for themselves throughout the
centuries.
•
Matthew 21: 41: The sentence which they give to
themselves. At the end of the parable Jesus asks: “Now, when the owner of the
vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They are not aware that the
parable was speaking precisely of them. This is why, with the response that
they give, they decree their own condemnation: “The chief priests and the
elders of the people answered: ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end
and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him at
the proper time’.” Several times Jesus uses this same method. He leads the
person to tell the truth about himself, without knowing that he is condemning
himself. For example, in the case of the Pharisee who condemns the young woman,
considering her a sinner (Luke 7: 42-43), and in the case of the parable of the
two sons (Mt 21: 28-32).
•
Matthew 21: 42-46: The sentence given by
themselves was confirmed by their behavior. From the clarification given by
Jesus, the chief priests, the elders and the Pharisees understand that the
parable is about them, but they do not convert. Rather, they keep to their own
plan to kill Jesus. They will reject “the cornerstone.” But they do not have
the courage to do it openly because they fear the reaction of the people.
The diverse groups which held the power at the time of
Jesus. In today’s Gospel three groups appear, which, at that time, governed:
the priests, the elders, and the Pharisees. Then, some brief information on the
power which each of these groups and others possessed is given:
•
The priests: They were the ones in charge of the
worship in the Temple. The people paid the Temple a tithe and other taxes and
offerings. The High Priest occupied a very important place in the life of the
nation, especially after the exile. He was chosen and appointed from among the
three or four aristocratic families who possessed more power and riches.
•
The elders or the Chief Priests of the People:
They were the local leaders in the different villages of the city. Their origin
came from the heads of the ancient tribes.
•
The Sadducees: they were the lay aristocratic
elite of society who wanted to maintain a priestly caste. Many of them were
rich merchants or landlords. From the religious point of view they were liberal
in their willingness to incorporate Hellenism into their lives. They did not
accept the changes supported by the Pharisees, for example, faith in the
resurrection and the existence of angels.
•
The Pharisees: Pharisee means “separated.” They
believed in the Oral Law handed down from Moses and that through the perfect
observance of the Law of purity, people would succeed in being pure, separated
and holy as the Law and Tradition demanded! Because of the exemplary witness of
their life according to the norms of the time, their moral authority was
widespread in the villages of Galilee.
•
Scribe or doctor of the Law: They were the ones
in charge of teaching. They dedicated their life to the study of the Law of God
and taught people what to do to observe all the Law of God. Not all the Scribes
belonged to the same line. Some were united with the Pharisees, others with the
Sadducees.
Personal Questions
•
Have you sometimes felt that you were unduly
controlled or misunderstood? What was your reaction? Was it the same as that of
Jesus?
•
If Jesus returned today and told us the same
parable, would it be as relevant?
What would the reaction be from society and on a personal
level?
Concluding Prayer
As far as heaven is above the earth, so
strong is the faithful love of the Lord for those who fear Him. As far as the
east is from the west, so far from us does He put our faults. (Ps 103: 11-12)
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