Homily: The Fourteenth Wednesday of Ordinary time

The Fourteenth Wednesday of Ordinary time (Genesis 32:22-33) “God’s Plan Unfolds in Unexpected Ways.”

We have a cliff notes version of the story of Jacob in the lectionary for this cycle of readings. We had the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel yesterday. We skip over the story of the birth of his sons and the episode where Joseph is sold into slavery in Egypt.

Joseph is enslaved, but he can interpret dreams and he is also a very good administrator. He takes over the Pharoah’s daily responsibilities. A famine comes on the land and Joseph, because of a dream, predicts what is about to happen. He stores up grain, so the people do not starve.

All this leads to his family coming to Egypt to try and obtain food so that they might survive. His brothers had sold him into slavery, but he does not exact revenge. No, he gives them the food they need to make it through. He also manipulates the situation so that Jacob is brought to Egypt. The family settles there, and they multiply and prosper. This sets up the story of Moses and the Exodus.

There is a musical about Joseph and Technicolor Dream Coat. This is a very popular show and was on Broadway for many years. One critic noted that God is not mentioned in the musical. If we look at the story in scripture, we find that God is not talked about very much either. Does this mean that God is uninvolved? We could say that what happened to Jacobs family was all a matter of chance.

But another way to look at is that God works through ordinary events to bring about his ends. The story of Joseph is an important story in salvation history. God writes straight with crooked lines. When we are in the middle of a struggle in our life we may ask where God is. But when we look back later, we can see how God is at work.

We look back at the Story of Jospeh centuries later. We can’t help but be impressed at how a messy situation revolving around jealousy, famine and betrayal turns into a story of reconciliation and salvation.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I believe that dreams have messages we need to pay attention to? What is one significant dream I have had?

2.   Have I had a family quarrel that has been resolved? How did that happen?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Our Vacation Bible School is in full swing. The children are having a great time. Between the adults and teens who help and the children there are about 70 people. This is a learning experience for all involved. If you go to our Facebook page, you can see what happened today.

          We also had our Garden Committee trimming bushes today. This was a big undertaking, but the people involved did a great job. It was a warm task, and I am sure that everyone in the parish appreciates the hard work that was done. Please thank the committee members when you see them.

          May Our Lady pray for peace pray for us.

          Fr. Mark