Mass Readings for March 1, 2024

Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28
Psalms 105:16-21
Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28
(3) Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. (4) His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him. (12) His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. (13) Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.” (17) The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. (18) They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. (19) They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes. (20) Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.” (21) Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.” (22) Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. (23) When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him; (24) and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it. (25) They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. (26) Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? (27) Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. (28) Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt.

Psalms 105:16-21
(16) He called for a famine on the land. He destroyed the food supplies. (17) He sent a man before them. Joseph was sold for a slave. (18) They bruised his feet with shackles. His neck was locked in irons, (19) until the time that his word happened, and Yahweh’s word proved him true. (20) The king sent and freed him; even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free. (21) He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all of his possessions;

Matthew 21:33-43,45-46
(33) “Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country. (34) When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit. (35) The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. (36) Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way. (37) But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ (38) But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and seize his inheritance.’ (39) So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. (40) When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” (41) They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season.” (42) Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?’ (43) “Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruit. (45) When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them. (46) When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.