Two Life-changing Experiences: Homily for Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Today’s readings focus on two life-changing experiences. The first reading from the Book of Genesis tells the story of Joseph and his brothers. The gospel describes the Apostles and their need to tell that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Readings for Today.

Two Life-changing Experiences

As I mentioned, in the Dominican world we celebrate today Saint John of Cologne. And in today’s first reading we get a situation that on some level is not completely undifferent for Joseph and his brothers.

This of course is the end of the story that we encounter in the book of Genesis about Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob, who I suspect his brothers resented a little bit first because he was the very youngest.

And usually when you’re the youngest your parents know you’re the youngest, you’re going to be the youngest, and they’re tired. They’re worn out. And youngest children can often do things that the older children would never have been allowed to do.

But moreover, Joseph had the audacity to share his experience of God with his brothers. So not only was he, I suspect, in their view spoiled, but he painted his experience of God which showed many things that indicated that they would bow down to him. Not something that we really want to hear from our siblings.

In fact, our siblings are often the ones who help us to be honest with ourselves. But through a lot of things that we don’t hear about today, Joseph arrives in this very position where the Word of God is proved true in the actions of today. How emotional an encounter for Joseph!

Particularly when his brothers do what often we do when things don’t go our way. They blame each other. They say, “This is what happens when we did what we did.” And Reuben is very typical of what happens when things don’t go so well for us. “I told you so. I told you we shouldn’t do this.”

And Joseph understands all this. And he’s moved with profound emotion. It is really a powerful, powerful story. A very, very powerful story. We’ll hear more about tomorrow. We are called to share what God tells us. What God speaks to us.

Such is the message of the gospel. The Apostles are given a somewhat simple task on the one hand and quite a difficult task on the other. They are to proclaim the kingdom of God is at hand. That is true for us today, too. And they’re given a powerful set of graces by Jesus that gives them authority over unclean spirits and the ability to cure every disease and illness. They are equipped with power.

We, too, like Joseph and the Apostles, stand in a world where the kingdom of God is at hand. Where God speaks to us and where God demands something of us. Namely, by our way of life, by our witness, we are to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

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