July 9, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a

Reflect on the Word // 

The steady stream of tears had formed new lines on my face. The last couple of days felt like a thick fog had been cast over me. I looked up from my seat and quickly looked back down. Resentment and bitterness were attempting to creep in and corrupt my already vulnerable heart. Aunts and uncles, who had been out of my life for a long time, were suddenly all under one roof. These were the family members who had spoiled special gatherings and whose names had ruined countless conversations over dinner, and being with them was intensifying my sorrow. I couldn’t see their loss in the same vein as mine. They had lost their brother, but I had lost my father.  

In today’s First Reading we read that Joseph was no stranger to severed family relationships. When he interacts with his brothers, who sold him into slavery, “he turned away from them and wept” (Genesis 42:24). 

Grief is often poured out as a visceral response through tears and can empty us for a while. The places within us that once held affectionate love are sometimes filled with the unwelcome feelings of resentment in the face of betrayal. Our afflictions arise through situations we could never anticipate, and we might find them similar to what Joseph experienced. 

Joseph’s weeping was probably as vast as the Nile river, but God didn’t allow his pain to remain. Instead his weeping became a source of deep healing and a path towards forgiveness as is seen in his reconciliation with his family (see Genesis 50:20). 

I may not have had an opportunity to embrace those family members who caused division throughout my childhood; however, I forgive them and desire their utmost good even as the years have wedged distance between us. 

Grief and sorrow are trials that invite us to deep trust and abandonment to the will of the Father. Joseph’s story shows us that even in unimaginable circumstances God can deliver good. No matter how much evil is inflicted upon us, He will not allow it to overcome us. The weeping is painful, but the restoration is greater. 

Relate to the Lord // What sorrow will you share with the Lord today? Thank Him in advance for the restoration to come.