The story of Israel's son Joseph has been retold in the form of a musical entitled 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat.' It is a story about a gifted son who was treasured by his father, but hated and rejected by his brothers who sell him into slavery and leave him for dead. Later in the story, Joseph winds up in Egypt and eventually becomes the first minister of the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. As minister, he prepares the country to face a famine that strikes the entire region, including the land of his father and brothers. His brothers are forced to go to Egypt to buy grain for the family and meet their brother Joseph, but do not recognize him. Joseph saves his family from starvation and eventually reveals his identity to his brothers, who now recognize him and bow down to him as their savior.

The story of Joseph foreshadows the role that Jesus would eventually play for the entire human family. Jesus was rejected by His own people and crucified, but through the Paschal Mystery which we will celebrate during Holy Week, Jesus, like Joseph before him, rescues us from disaster and gives us life. The Gospel parable connotes a similar outcome concerning the owner's son who is rejected and murdered. Reflect how we, too, may have been unfaithful to our brother Jesus and failed to embrace Him as the one who saves us and offers us life.