0:07
Reading from the book of Genesis. In
0:10
those days, Israel set out with all he
0:12
had. When he reached Beerba, he offered
0:16
sacrifices to the God of his father
0:18
Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision
0:21
at night, saying, "Jacob, Jacob." He
0:25
answered, "Here I am." And God said to
0:28
him, "I am God, the God of your father.
0:31
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
0:34
for I will make you a great nation
0:36
there. I myself will go down with you to
0:39
Egypt and bring you back from there."
0:41
And Joseph will be the one who will shut
0:43
your eyes." Jacob arose and left Beer
0:46
Sheba. His sons put him along with the
0:49
children and the women on the wagons
0:51
Pharaoh had sent to transport them. They
0:54
also took everything they had in the
0:56
land of Canaan. And they went to Egypt,
0:59
Jacob and his whole family, his sons and
1:01
grandsons, his daughters, and all his
1:04
descendants. Jacob sent Judah ahead to
1:06
warn Joseph and have him come to him in
1:09
Gesson. And they came to the land of
1:11
Gethesson. Joseph had his chariot
1:13
hitched and went up to Gethesson to meet
1:15
his father. As soon as he saw him, he
1:18
threw his arms around his neck and
1:20
embracing him, wept for a long time.
1:23
Israel said to Joseph, "Now I will die
1:26
happy because I have seen your face and
1:28
I am letting you live." Word of the
1:31
Lord. Thanks be to God.
1:42
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
1:44
Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
1:47
to you, Lord. At that time Jesus said to
1:50
his disciples, "Behold, I am sending you
1:53
out as sheep among wolves. Be wise as
1:56
serpents and harmless as doves. Beware
1:59
of men, for they will hand you over to
2:01
the councils and flock you in their
2:03
synagogues. You will be brought before
2:05
governors and kings for my sake to bear
2:08
witness before them and the nations.
2:10
When they hand you over, do not worry
2:13
about how to speak or what to say. At
2:15
that time, you will be shown what you
2:17
should say. For it will not be you who
2:20
speak, but the spirit of your father
2:22
speaking through you. Brother will
2:24
betray brother to death. A father will
2:26
betray his child. Children will rise up
2:29
against their parents and have them put
2:31
to death. You will be hated by all
2:33
because of my name. But whoever endures
2:36
to the end will be saved. When they
2:38
persecute you in one city, flee to
2:41
another. Truly, I tell you, you will not
2:44
be finished to go through the cities of
2:46
Israel before the Son of Man comes. Word
2:49
of salvation. Glory to you, Lord.
3:01
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
3:04
imagine for a moment that you are about
3:05
to take a trip to an unknown place. Your
3:08
bags are packed, the car is loaded, but
3:11
your hearts are torn between hope and
3:13
fear. Are you making the right choice?
3:16
Is God truly guiding you? This tension
3:19
between trust and uncertainty, between
3:21
obedience and fear, is at the heart of
3:24
our readings today. In the first
3:26
reading, we meet Jacob, already old and
3:29
carrying the weight of a lifetime of
3:30
experiences with God. He has just
3:33
received news that seems too good to be
3:35
true. Joseph, his beloved son, whom he
3:38
thought had been dead for years, is
3:40
alive and is governor of Egypt. More
3:43
than that, Joseph is inviting the entire
3:45
family to come to Egypt and escape the
3:47
famine ravaging the land. But Jacob
3:50
hesitates. It is not an easy decision.
3:54
He is being asked to leave the promised
3:56
land, the land God had promised to his
3:58
fathers Abraham and Isaac. Is it right
4:01
to abandon God's inheritance? Does God
4:04
approve of this journey? It is then that
4:07
God speaks to Jacob in night visions.
4:10
Jacob, Jacob. And Jacob responds, "Here
4:13
I am." What an intimate and personal
4:16
dialogue. God knows Jacob by name. And
4:20
Jacob recognizes God's voice. This is
4:23
the essence of faith, a personal and
4:26
dynamic relationship with a creator. God
4:29
then offers Jacob three fundamental
4:31
promises. I am God, the God of your
4:34
father. Do not be afraid to go down to
4:36
Egypt, for there I will make of you a
4:39
great nation. I will go down with you to
4:41
Egypt and bring you up from there also.
4:44
Let us analyze these promises one by
4:47
one. First, God identifies himself as
4:50
the God of your father. He is reminding
4:54
Jacob of his continued faithfulness
4:56
through the generations. The same God
4:58
who guided Abraham and Isaac will be
5:00
faithful to Jacob. Second, God promises
5:04
that this journey is not a detour or a
5:06
failure, but part of his plan to make
5:08
Jacob a great nation. Third, God
5:12
promises his presence. I will go down
5:14
with you. How beautiful this last
5:17
promise is. God is not just sending
5:20
Jacob to Egypt. He is going with him.
5:23
This is a truth that echoes throughout
5:25
scripture. God does not abandon us on
5:28
our journeys, even when they take us
5:30
into unknown and seemingly dangerous
5:32
territories. Strengthened by these
5:34
promises, Jacob sets out for Egypt,
5:37
taking all his descendants with him, his
5:40
sons and grandsons, his daughters and
5:43
This is not a desperate escape but an
5:46
orderly migration. An entire family
5:49
moving under divine direction. And then
5:51
we have that moving moment when Joseph
5:53
finally finds his father. Joseph
5:56
prepared his chariot and went up to meet
5:58
his father Israel. When he saw him, he
6:01
fell on his neck and wept long and
6:03
embraced him. What a touching scene.
6:06
After years of separation, pain and
6:09
uncertainty, father and son are
6:12
reunited. Israel then says to Joseph,
6:15
"Now I can die, for I have seen your
6:17
face and you are still alive." These
6:20
words reveal the depth of the pain Jacob
6:22
has carried all these years, but also
6:24
the fullness of the joy he now
6:26
experiences. Family reunion is seen as a
6:29
blessing so great that it is worth a
6:31
lifetime of suffering. But how does this
6:34
ancient story connect with our reality
6:36
today? This is where the Gospel of
6:38
Matthew offers us a powerful bridge.
6:41
Jesus is sending his disciples on a
6:43
mission. And his words echo the same
6:45
themes of journey, uncertainty, and
6:48
trusting God that we see in Jacob's
6:50
story. Behold, I send you out as sheep
6:53
in the midst of wolves, says Jesus. What
6:56
a challenging image. Just as Jacob had
6:59
to trust God when leaving the safety of
7:01
the familiar land, the disciples must
7:04
trust Jesus when entering a hostile
7:06
world. Jesus continues, "Be wise as
7:09
serpents and harmless as doves." Here we
7:12
have the same balance we see in Jacob.
7:14
The wisdom to discern God's will,
7:17
prudence, combined with the purity of
7:19
heart to obey, simplicity.
7:22
But Jesus doesn't hide the reality. They
7:24
will hand you over to the courts and
7:26
fogg you in the synagogues.
7:28
There will be suffering. There will be
7:31
opposition. There will be times when the
7:34
disciples will question whether they are
7:36
on the right path. This is where Jesus
7:38
promise echoes God's promise to Jacob.
7:41
When they deliver you up, do not worry
7:43
about what you are to say or how you are
7:45
to speak. For it will be given you at
7:47
that hour what you should say. For it is
7:49
not you who speak, but the spirit of
7:51
your father speaking through you. Just
7:54
as God promised to go down to Egypt with
7:56
Jacob, Jesus promises that the spirit of
7:59
the father will be with the disciples in
8:01
their trials. They will not be alone
8:04
even in the most difficult moments. My
8:07
dear brothers and sisters, these
8:09
readings invite us to reflect on our own
8:11
journeys of faith. We all face moments
8:14
when God calls us to leave our comfort
8:16
zone, to embark on journeys that seem
8:18
uncertain or even dangerous. Perhaps
8:21
it's a call to change careers, following
8:23
a path that honors God more but offers
8:25
less financial security. Perhaps it's an
8:28
invitation to forgive someone who has
8:30
deeply hurt us. An emotional journey
8:32
that seems impossible. Perhaps it's a
8:35
challenge to speak about our faith in a
8:37
hostile environment, making us
8:39
vulnerable to criticism or rejection. In
8:42
these moments, Jacob's story teaches us
8:45
several important lessons. First, it's
8:48
normal to hesitate. Even a man of faith
8:51
like Jacob needed divine confirmation
8:54
before setting out. God is not angered
8:56
by our honest doubts. He honors them
8:59
with his presence and guidance. Second,
9:02
God speaks to us personally. Just as he
9:05
called Jacob by name, he knows each of
9:07
us intimately through prayer, meditation
9:10
on the word, and fellowship with other
9:13
believers. We can discern his voice.
9:16
Third, God goes with us. The promise, I
9:19
will go down with you, is eternal.
9:22
Wherever our obedience takes us, God is
9:25
with us. We can set out with confidence,
9:28
knowing that we will not face trials
9:30
alone. Fourth, God has purposes greater
9:33
than our limited understanding. Jacob
9:36
may have seen his journey to Egypt as a
9:38
desperate measure to escape famine, but
9:41
God was orchestrating events to preserve
9:43
and multiply his chosen people. And
9:46
finally, there are glorious reunions
9:48
ahead. Just as Joseph and Jacob were
9:51
reunited after years of separation, our
9:54
faithfulness through difficult journeys
9:56
will result in joys that outweigh our
9:58
sufferings. The gospel reminds us that
10:00
these journeys are not always easy. We
10:03
will be like sheep among wolves. We will
10:06
face opposition, criticism, and
10:09
sometimes even persecution. But Jesus
10:12
assures us that the spirit of the father
10:14
will speak through us, empowering us for
10:16
every challenge. May we have the courage
10:19
of Jacob to respond, "Here I am." When
10:22
God calls us, may we have the wisdom to
10:25
discern his voice amid the noise of the
10:27
world. And may we have the faith to set
10:30
out knowing that he who calls us also
10:32
accompanies us. Imagine the glorious
10:35
reunions that await us, not only with
10:37
loved ones who have gone before us, but
10:39
with Christ himself when he says to us,
10:42
"Well done, good and faithful servant.
10:45
Enter into the joy of your Lord." May
10:48
God's grace strengthen us for each
10:50
journey. May his presence comfort us in
10:52
every trial. And may his promise of
10:54
eternal reunion give us the courage to
10:56
persevere to the end. And may the peace
10:58
of God which surpasses all understanding
11:02
guard our hearts and minds in Christ
11:03
Jesus today and always. Amen.
11:16
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
11:19
battle. be our protection against the
11:21
wickedness and snares of the devil. May
11:24
God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
11:27
thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
11:30
the power of God, cast into hell Satan
11:33
and all the evil spirits who prowl
11:36
throughout the world seeking the ruin of
