July 12, 2025, Saturday of the 14th week in ordinary time.

A reading from the book of Genesis.

Jacob gave his sons this charge.

Since I am about to be taken to my people,

bury me with my fathers in the cave that lives in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in

the field of Makpila, facing on Mamra in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham

bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground.

There Abraham and his wife Sauer are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife, Rebecca, and

there too I buried Leah, the field and the cave in it that have been purchased from the

Hittites.

Now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became fearful in thought.

Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now plans to pay us back and full for

all the wrong we did him.

So they approached Joseph and said, Before your father died, he gave us these instructions.

You shall say to Joseph,

Jacob begs you to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers who treated you so cruelly.

Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we the servants of your Father's God committed."

When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.

Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said,

Let us be your slaves. Joseph replied to them, Have no fear. Can I take the place

of God? Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end,

the survival of many people.

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