Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 1, 2024
First Reading: Genesis 37.3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28
3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.12Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,13and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.Very well," he replied.17"They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.18But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.19"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other.20"Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said.22"Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe-the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-24and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.25As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.26Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.28So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Psalm 105
1Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.2Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.3Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.4Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.5Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,6O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.7He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.8He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,9the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.10He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:11"To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."12When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,13they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.14He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:15"Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm."16He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;17and he sent a man before them- Joseph, sold as a slave.18They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,19till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.20The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.21He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,22to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.23Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.24The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,25whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.26He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.27They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.28He sent darkness and made the land dark- for had they not rebelled against his words?29He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.30Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.32He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;33he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.34He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;35they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.36Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.37He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.38Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.39He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.40They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.41He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.42For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.43He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;44he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-45that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.
Gospel: Matthew 21.33-43, 45-46
33"Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.34When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.35"The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.36Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.37Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said.38"But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.'39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.40"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"41"He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."42Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?43"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them.46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Sermon
The readings today present us with two powerful stories of betrayal, rejection, and the unfolding of God’s plan. In the first reading from Genesis, we see the story of Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, who is hated by his brothers because of the special affection and gifts he receives from his father. Driven by jealousy, Joseph’s brothers conspire against him, ultimately deciding to sell him into slavery rather than kill him. This act of betrayal sets the stage for Joseph’s journey into Egypt, where God will eventually exalt him to a position of great power and responsibility. The story reminds us that even in the face of human sin and failure, God’s providence is at work, turning evil into good.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner who entrusts his property to tenant farmers. When the owner sends his servants and finally his son to collect the fruits of the vineyard, the tenants reject and kill them, hoping to seize the inheritance for themselves. Jesus uses this parable to critique the religious leaders of his time, who have failed to recognize and respond to God’s presence in their midst. The parable warns us that rejection of God’s messengers and refusal to bear fruit in our lives can lead to spiritual consequences. Yet, even in judgment, there is hope: the vineyard will be given to others who are willing to produce its fruits.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God and others. Joseph’s story challenges us to examine how we respond to jealousy and betrayal, while the parable calls us to consider how we steward the gifts and responsibilities God has entrusted to us. In our daily lives, we are called to trust in God’s providence, even when faced with rejection or hardship, and to bear fruit through lives of love, faith, and service. Let us ask ourselves: Are we like Joseph, trusting in God’s plan even in difficult circumstances? Or are we like the tenant farmers, resisting God’s call and failing to produce the fruits of holiness? May we turn to God with repentant hearts, seeking to align our lives with his will.