Joseph of Egypt saw the hand of God at work in his reconciliation with his brothers, the brothers who sold him into slavery and whose lives he held in his hands. His act of reconciliation ensured God’s promises to Abraham would be fulfilled.
One of my favorite lines in our Eucharistic Prayer A is “… you in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ … to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.” When I hear this, I am often taken to the words of Jesus in our Gospel today, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
As we walk the way with Jesus, we are invited to recognize how the love and mercy we are freely given, when given freely in return by each of us, is the promise that transforms the people and world around us. The promise of a world reconciled IS fulfilled in Jesus and continues through us.