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From: Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a

The Death of Jacob

[29] Then he (Jacob) charged them, and said to them, “I am to be gathered to
my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron
the Hittite, [30] in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mam-
re, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the
Hittite to possess as a burying place. [31] There they buried Abraham and Sa-
rah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried
Leah —[32] the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

After the Death of Jacob

[15] When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may
be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.”
[16] So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this com-
mand before he died, [17] ‘Say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, the transgression
of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, we pray
you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph
wept when they spoke to him. [18] His brothers also came and fell down before
him, and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” [19] But Joseph said to them,
“Fear not, for am I in the place of God? [20] As for you, you meant evil against
me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be
kept alive, as they are today. [21] So do not fear; I will provide for you and your
little ones.” Thus he reassured them and comforted them. [22] So Joseph dwelt
in Egypt, he and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.
[23] And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children
also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph’s knees.

The Death of Joseph

[24] And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will visit you,
and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob.” [25] Then Joseph took an oath of the Sons of Israel, sa-
ying, “God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” [26] So
Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and
he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

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Commentary:

49:29-32. This repeats, in different words, the information given in 47:29-31, but
now with express reference to the life and burial of the previous patriarchs, Abra-
ham (cf. 23:1-20; 25:9) and Isaac (cf. 25:27-29). This is the only place where it
is mentioned that Abraham, Rebekah and Leah were buried here. The passage
acts as a reminder that they belong where their ancestors are, and that they
must return there. The scene is set for the theme of the book of Exodus. Verse
32 is missing from the Vulgate Latin version.

50:1-26. In this final chapter further stress is put on the greatness of the figure
of Jacob by the account of that great mourning (vv. 1-14); and the meaning is
clearly revealed of the entire story of Joseph and his brothers in the context of
God’s plans (vv. 15-26).

50:15-21. In spite of the marks of fraternity Joseph has shown his brothers,
when they lose their common father they also seem to lose their sense of frater-
nity. They continue to see things from a very human perspective; whereas Joseph
has a more supernatural outlook, which also extends to his hope in the future (cf.
v. 24). In this way the book of Genesis concludes its account of the origins of the
world, of mankind and of the people of God, leaving the way open to a new and
decisive intervention by God — the great deliverance from Egypt, which the book
of Exodus will recount.

50:22-26. The Lord has blessed Joseph with a long life and the joy of seeing his
great-grandchildren. Even as he dies, Joseph continues to think about his people,
whose destiny (he reminds them) is the fulfillment of the promise God made to
his ancestors. Joseph reaffirms that that promise will be kept, and he feels that
he has a part in it. Therefore, he makes them swear that his bones will be taken
up from Egypt to the promised land. And so the book of Genesis comes to an
end, by showing Joseph’s faith in the divine promises and inviting the reader, no
matter what happens, to keep alive his or her hope in God’s active help.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 10:24-33

Jesus’ Instructions to the Apostles (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [24] “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a
servant above his master; [25] it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher,
and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-
elzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

[26] “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or
hidden that will not be known. [27] What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light;
and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. [28] And do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can de-
stroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. [30] But
even the hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] Fear not, therefore; you are
of more value than many sparrows. [32] So every one who acknowledges Me
before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven; [33]
but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in
heaven.”

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Commentary:

24-25. Jesus uses these two proverbs to hint at the future that awaits His dis-
ciples: their greatest glory will consist in imitating the Master, being identified
with Him, even if this means being despised and persecuted as He was before
them: His example is what guides a Christian; as He Himself said, “I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).

Beelzebul (cf. Luke 11:15) was the name of the idol of the ancient Philistine city
of Ekron. The Jews later used the word to describe the devil or the prince of de-
vils (cf. Matthew 12:24), and their hatred of Jesus led them to the extreme of ap-
plying it to Him.

To equip them for the persecution and misunderstanding which Christians will
suffer (John 15:18), Jesus encourages them by promising to stay close to them.
Towards the end of His life He will call them His friends (John 15:15) and little
children (John 13:33).

26-27. Jesus tells His disciples not to be afraid of calumny and detraction. A
day will come when everyone will come to know the whole truth about everyone
else, their real intentions, the true dispositions of their souls. In the meantime,
those who belong to God may be misrepresented by those who resort to lies,
out of malice or passion. These are the hidden things which will be made known.

Christ also tells the Apostles to speak out clearly. Jesus’ divine teaching me-
thod led Him to speak to the crowds in parables so that they came to discover
His true personality by easy stages. After the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf.
Acts 1:8), the Apostles would have to preach from the rooftops about what
Jesus had taught them.

We too have to make Christ’s doctrine known in its entirety, without any ambi-
guity, without being influenced by false prudence or fear of the consequences.

28. Using this and other Gospel texts (Matthew 5:22, 29; 18:9; Mark 9:43, 45,
47; Luke 12:5), the Church teaches that hell exists; there those who die in mor-
tal sin suffer eternal punishment (cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 6, 3), in a man-
ner not known to us in this life (cf. St. Teresa of Avila, “Life”, Chapter 32). See
notes on Luke 16:19-31.

Therefore, our Lord warns His disciples against false fear. We should not fear
those who can only kill the body. Only God can cast body and soul into hell.
Therefore God is the only one we should fear and respect; He is our Prince and
Supreme Judge—not men. The martyrs have obeyed this precept of the Lord in
the fullest way, well aware that eternal life is worth much more than earthly life.

29-31. An “as” (translated here as “penny”) was a small coin of very little value.
Christ uses it to illustrate how much God loves His creatures. As St. Jerome
says (”Comm. in Matth.”, 10:29-31): “If little birds, which are of such little value,
still come under the providence and care of God, how is it that you, who, given
the nature of your soul, are immortal, can fear that you are not looked after care-
fully by Him whom you respect as your Father?” Jesus again teaches us about
the fatherly providence of God, which He spoke about at length in the Sermon
on the Mount (cf. Matthew 6:19-34).

32-33. Here Jesus tells us that public confession of our faith in Him—whatever
the consequences—is an indispensable condition for eternal salvation. After the
Judgment, Christ will welcome those who have given testimony of their faith and
condemn those whom fear caused to be ashamed of Him (cf. Matthew 7:23; 25:
41; Revelation 21:8). The Church honors as “confessors” those Saints who have
not gone physical martyrdom but whose lives bore witness to the Catholic faith.
Although every Christian should be ready to die for his faith, most Christians are
called to be confessors of the faith.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.