Today’s readings present a striking parallel between the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the lives of the saints. We see a recurring theme: the chosen one is rejected, plotted against, and cast out, only for God to turn that very rejection into the instrument of salvation.
The Beloved Son and the Plot of Envy
In the First Reading (Genesis 37), we find Joseph, the beloved son of Israel. Clad in his “coat with long sleeves,” he is a visible sign of his father’s favor. This favor breeds a lethal envy in his brothers. They see him as a “man of dreams” and plot to destroy him.
This mirrors the Gospel (Matthew 21), where the landowner sends his son to the vineyard. The tenants, seeing the heir, say exactly what Joseph’s brothers said: “Come, let us kill him.” In both stories, the motivation is the same, a desire to seize an inheritance or a status through violence and exclusion.
The Mystery of the “Staff” and the “Slave”
The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 104) provides the divine perspective on these betrayals. It begins with a jarring reality: “The Lord called down a famine on the land; he broke the staff that supported them.” In our lives, we often experience the “breaking of the staff”, the loss of security, health, or reputation. Yet, the Psalmist reveals a hidden plan: “He had sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave.” What Joseph’s brothers intended as a way to get rid of him, God used as a “sending.”
The Iron that Proves the Soul: Echoes in the Diary
The most striking imagery in the Psalm describes Joseph’s confinement:
“His feet were put in chains, his neck was bound with iron, until what he said came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true.”
This “iron” represents the weight of being misunderstood. Saint Faustina Kowalska, the apostle of Divine Mercy, lived a life that deeply resonates with this:
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The Weight of the Dream: Just as Joseph was mocked, Faustina was often ridiculed or treated as mentally ill by her own sisters for the visions she received.
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The Price of the Mission: In entry 1447, Jesus tells her: “You are the secretary of My mercy; I have chosen you for that office.” This chosen status brought her immense suffering.
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The Transformation of Suffering: St. Faustina often felt as a “victim” to her suffering. In 1324, she writes: “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior.” Like Joseph, she remained in the “iron” of physical illness and spiritual desolation, trusting she was being sent ahead to prepare a “storehouse” of mercy for a world in spiritual famine.
Saint Colette: Rebuilding the Vineyard
Today, March 6th, we celebrate the feast of Saint Colette of Corbie. Her life is a living commentary on the Gospel’s vineyard.
Born in 1381, Colette was sent to restore the spiritual fruitfulness of the Church. Like the servants in the parable:
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Rebuilding the Fence: She spent her life rebuilding the spiritual walls of the Franciscan Order, bringing back the primitive Rule of St. Clare of Assisi.
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Facing Rejection: She faced fierce opposition, accused of being a sorceress and a fanatic.
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The Architectural Iron: Colette spent years in an “iron” of her own, living as a recluse in a small cell attached to a church, before she was released by God to begin her reform.
From the Well to the Palace
The Psalm ends with a glorious reversal: “The king sent and released him… making him master of his house.” The Gospel concludes with the same promise of the Keystone: “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.” Whether it is Joseph in the well, Jesus on the Cross, St. Faustina in her sickbed, or St. Colette facing her detractors, the message is clear: God does His best work with what the world throws away.
Reflection for Today
When you feel “bound with iron” by your circumstances, remember that Joseph was “sent before.” Your current struggle might be the very thing God is using to position you to save others later. As Saint Faustina wrote: “The Lord himself undertakes to defend my cause… His power is great” (Diary 1034).
A Prayer for the Journey through the Well
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the mystery of Your Divine Providence. We remember today the marvels You have done throughout history, how You turned Joseph’s chains into a path of salvation and the rejected stone into the keystone of the vineyard.
Lord, when our “staff” is broken and we face the famine of spirit or the iron of being misunderstood, grant us the grace of Joseph’s patience. Help us to see, through the eyes of Saint Faustina, that our suffering is not a sign of Your absence, but a “sending” ahead to prepare for a greater harvest of Mercy.
When we feel cast into the well of isolation or criticised like Saint Colette for seeking Your Will, remind us that the vineyard is Yours. Give us the courage to rebuild what is broken, to forgive those who plot against us, and to trust that You are working all things together for our good.
May we, like the “man of dreams,” never lose sight of the vision You have placed in our hearts. Teach us to offer our trials as a “great grace” for the salvation of souls, knowing that after the iron comes the release, and after the cross comes the crown.
Saint Faustina, pray for us.
Saint Colette, pray for us.
Jesus, I trust in You.