Today’s Catholic Reflection
Joseph was loved by his father Israel. This special favor made his brothers very jealous. When Israel sent Joseph to check on them, they plotted to kill him. Reuben stepped in and suggested they throw Joseph into a cistern instead. In the end, they sold him to a caravan for twenty pieces of silver, betraying their own brother for money.
In the Gospel, Jesus shared a parable about a landowner who created a vineyard and rented it to tenants. When the landowner sent servants to collect the harvest, the tenants mistreated them and even killed the son. They thought they could take the inheritance for themselves. Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom of God would be taken from those who rejected the son and given to others who would bear fruit. The chief priests and Pharisees understood that he was talking about them and feared the crowd, which kept them from acting against him.