March 18/Second Friday of Lent
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. ~ Ps 105.16-17
Two years into COVID, beset by inflation, supply chain shortages, and a collateral pandemic of anger and resentment that has infected our social polity, we can effortlessly identify with the situation alluded to in today’s psalm: a time of deprivation and desperation, worsened now with the eruption of violence in Europe. These verses, excerpted from a longer recital of the wondrous deeds of God in the history of Israel, focus on the story of Joseph. Most of us remember this riches-to-rags-to-riches narrative from Sunday school: the jealous brothers who sell the favorite son into slavery; Joseph’s success in Egypt, his betrayal by the spurned wife of his master, Potiphar, and his imprisonment; his subsequent ascent to become head of Pharaoh’s household on the basis of his ability to interpret dreams. Even when things looked dark and hopeless, God was at work in history, breaking into human time to save his people from starvation during a famine, in this case by raising up Joseph, this former slave who was one of God’s own. The pattern is repeated throughout the psalm, which celebrates God’s promises to the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, his commissioning of Moses and Aaron to lead the enslaved Hebrews to freedom, his guiding of the children of Israel to a new land. Over and over, in the face of complications, resistance, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, God has “brought his people out with joy” (verse 43). Even in these bleak days, when our world seems to sustain one punch after another, when equilibrium is elusive, we can and indeed must trust that he will do the same for us. And we can present ourselves to him, asking to be part of whatever work he is doing on behalf of his people.
Lord God, whose mystery remains beyond human reach, May I sense your hand at work in my life — and in the world — even when it seems most absent. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031822.cfm
To hear the University of Notre Dame Liturgical Choir sing “O God Beyond All Praising,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYo4jvQwrzU
