In today’s first reading we hear of the iconic story of Joseph and his betrayal at the hands of his brothers. We hear how jealousy can morph into violence and hateful acts like Joseph’s brothers were jealous and then hateful because of their father’s unique love for Joseph. Rueben’s political gesture saves his brother’s life, only to have the other brothers decide to sell Joseph into slavery. There is no sugar coating this story, God’s biblical family was complicated, messy, and sinful. It’s hard not to imagine that Joseph was angry at his brothers in some way because of what they did, and this feeling of his would be justified indeed. Yet, at the end of the book of Genesis, when Joseph is 2nd in command in Egypt and thus helps saves his brothers from their famine, he doesn’t respond to his brothers with years of pent-up hatred and anger. No, Joseph looks back on what had happened to him – with all the struggle, pain, and suffering – and says to his brothers: “even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” Joseph is able to look back upon the sufferings in his life and see God’s hand working to make straight what others intended to make crooked.
This insight of Joseph’s, in many ways, is prophetic of the life of Christ. Christ’s Cross might be understood in a similar way – what others intended for harm in the cross of Christ, God intended for good in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. St. Paul reminds us that God works all things for the good of those who love him. Let us pray, this Lent, for greater trust in God’s good plan in our lives and to have hearts and spiritual eyes to see how he is making straight the paths that others (or ourselves) may have intended to be crooked.