Monday of the 15^th week in ordinary time

Ex. 1: 8-14.22        Mathew 10: 34-11: 1

Theme: A king who does not know Joseph…

In the 1^st reading of today from the Book of Exodus, it presents to us the reign of a king who do not know Joseph. With the coming of this king, Joseph was made unpopular and no longer had the privileged position he used to enjoy. This is the reality of life, nothing in life lasts forever, so when you can make a positive impact on the life of the people around you, make good use of it. In the case of Joseph, he made good use of the opportunity he had and treated the people fairly. The mistake we make sometimes is that we tend to think that things will remain the way they are for a very long time, as if everything is within our power. So, if for any reason there is a change in the system where you had a say, you begin to complain and grumble because you were not expecting it and did not treat people fairly while in the office. The case of Joseph in today’s 1^st reading should teach all of us a lesson, that nothing we have on earth will last forever. A time will come, and you will no longer be in control like it used to be. We must be mindful of this fact and treat people right when we find ourselves in privileged positions. Always remember that everything in life has its time and season, nothing is eternal.

As a result of the insecurity of the new king, he decided to treat the Israelites badly and reduce them, but because the hand of God was upon them, they continued to increase, even with all the maltreatment they were going through at that time. As their number continued to increase, they continued to spread abroad. Pharoah even got to the point when he commanded the people to throw all the male children born by the Hebrew women into the Nile and allow the females to live. This is the extent to which he allowed his insecurity to lead him, taking the life of little children. He forgot that he will not remain as a king forever. When his time is over, he will leave the position of king for someone else. That is why we must be very careful about the things we do when we are in a position of power and authority, lest they come back to haunt us in the future, and it will be too late.

May the Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.