Revenge Or Repentance: Joseph and His Brothers

Home , Joseph and His Brothers, Sibling rivalry

B1 THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017 MAKING OF A SAINT

Aprimeronmiracles,martyrs, virtues and canonization

Nicole Winfield The Associated Press Martyrs — people killed for their faith — can be beatified without a miracle. A mira- ATICAN CITY — Lengthy historic cle is needed, however, for martyrs to be can- V investigations. Decrees of “heroic onized. virtues.” Miraculous cures. The Vatican’s complicated saint-making THE MARTO CASE, A FIRST process has long fascinated Catholics and The Marto siblings are the Catho- Souvenir tiles are displayed for sale at a shop in the village of Aljustrel, outside Fatima, non-Catholics alike, and it was on display lic Church’s youngest-ever non-martyred Portugal. The tiles show Lucia Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto, the Portuguese May 13 when Pope Francis canonized two saints. shepherd children who said they saw visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago. Pope Francis children whose “visions” of the Virgin Mary Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Mar- visited the Fatima shrine on May 12 and 13 to canonize Francisco and Jacinta Marto. AP 100yearsagoturnedthesleepyfarmtownof tians pushed their case through the first Fatima into a major Catholic pilgrimage site. phase of beatification when he was in charge Francis recently reformed the process to of the Vatican’s saint-making office. He says ing external vigilance over individual Vati- ing period for Mother Teresa’s beatification address financial abuses that had long tar- it was the first of its kind. can bank accounts created for beatification process to begin and launched it a year after nished the Vatican’s saint-making process, “Before we couldn’t even talk about the and canonization causes, as well as regular her 1997 death. but the basic criteria remain. beatification of children in the history of the budgeting and accounting to make sure the Pope Benedict XVI subsequently waived church because the principle prevailed that donations from the faithful are being used the five-year waiting period for John Paul in HOW ARE SAINTS MADE? they didn’t yet have the skills to exercise the as intended. launching his beatification process weeks Apostulator—essentiallythecheer- heroic level of Christian virtues,” Saraiva The second reform concerns the mira- after his 2005 death. leader spearheading the project — gathers Martins said. cle certification process: One new rule stip- In the end, John Paul beat Mother Teresa’s testimony and documentation and pres- But Francisco and Jacinta Marto earned ulates a potential miracle can no longer be record-fast beatification by just a few days entsthecasetotheVatican’sCongregation the designation by refusing — despite presented for consideration if it fails to pass when he was beatified May 1, 2011. for the Causes of Saints. If the congregation’s threats they would be fried in olive oil — to beforetheboardofmedicalexpertsthree experts agree the candidate lived a virtuous recant their visions. Aged 9 and 7 at the time, times. Secrecy must be respected at all HOW MANY SAINTS ARE THERE? life, the case is forwarded to the pope, who they held firm in their faith, and ultimately times. Medical experts can’t have any con- During his quarter-century papacy, John signs a decree attesting to the candidate’s Portuguese church officials declared the tact with the postulator. Another rule says Paul declared more saints — 482 — than all “heroic virtues.” apparitions authentic. experts can be paid only via bank transfer, of his predecessors combined. Some of his If the postulator finds someone was no longer in cash. big-name saints: Edith Stein, a Jewish-born miraculously healed by praying for the can- FRANCIS’ REFORMS Carmelite nun who was killed at Auschwitz, didate’s intercession, and if the cure can’t be Francis has issued two major reforms to BUT HASN’T FRANCIS DONE and Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan medically explained, the case is presented the multimillion dollar saint-making pro- AWAY WITH MIRACLES? friar who sacrificed his life at the death camp to the congregation as the possible miracle cess after the Vatican uncovered gross Inhiszealtogivethefaithfulevenmore so that a man with a family could live. needed for beatification. Panels of doctors, abuses that were revealed in two books. role models, Francis has on several occa- John Paul also beatified a record-number, theologians, bishops and cardinals must The books estimated the average cost for sions done away with the Vatican’s rules 1,338. Among them was John XXIII in 2000 certify that the cure was instantaneous, each beatification at around 500,000 euros requiring two miracles. His most famous and Mother Teresa in 2003. complete and lasting — and was due to the ($550,000), with much of the proceeds going waiver involved St. John XXIII, whom Fran- Benedict continued the process, albeit at a intercession of the saintly candidate. If con- to a few lucky people with contracts to do the cis canonized along with St. John Paul II slower clip — 44 saints under his watch. vinced, the congregation sends the case to time-consuming investigations into the can- in April 2014. The Vatican said Francis had Francis overtook John Paul’s record the pope, who signs a decree saying the can- didates’lives.Thebooksfoundthatwell-fi- the authority to dispense with the miracle within two months as pope: In May 2013, he didate can be beatified. nanced causes sprinted ahead while poorer requirement for John. canonized more than 800 15th century mar- A second miracle is needed to declare the ones languished. He’s not the only rule-breaking pope. tyrs who were beheaded for refusing to con- candidate a saint. Francis last year issued new rules requir- John Paul waived the normal five-year wait- vert to Islam. Frightening visions and a call to prayer The Associated Press and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia Santos, fast and eventually the church recognized reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin the apparitions as authentic in 1930. FATIMA, PORTUGAL The Catholic Mary made the first of a half-dozen appear- “We can take as our examples St. Fran- Church’s newest saints are two Portuguese ances to them while they grazed their sheep. cisco and St. Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary shepherd children, young siblings whose They said she confided in them three secrets introduced into the immense ocean of God’s reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, light and taught to adore him,” Francis said. ago turned the Portuguese farm town of communism and the death of a pope — and “That was the source of their strength in Fatima into one of the world’s most import- urged them to pray for peace and a conver- overcoming opposition and suffering.” ant Catholic shrines. sion from sin. The Martos are the youngest saints who Pope Francis proclaimed Francisco and At the time, Europe was in the throes of didn’t die as martyrs. Jacinta Marto saints May 13, at the start of World War I, and the Portuguese church BeforetheMass,Francisprayedatthe Mass marking the centenary of their visions. wassufferingunderanti-clericallawsfrom tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. A half-million people watched in front of the the republican government that had forced The Marto siblings died two years after the shrine’s basilica, the Vatican said. Many had many bishops and priests into exile. visions during Europe’s Spanish flu pan- spent days at Fatima in prayer, reciting rosa- Thechildrenwerethreatenedbylocal demic. Lucia is on track for possible beatifi- Pope Francis prays at the grave site of Jacinta ries beforeGrand a statue Rapids of the Press Madonna. - 05/25/2017 civil authoritiesCopy with Reduced death by boiling to 80% oil from if cation,original but to herfit letter process page couldn’t start until and Francisco Marto at thePage Sanctuary : B01 of Our Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, they didn’t recant their story. But they held after her 2005 death. Lady of Fatima on May 13. AP

INTERFAITH INSIGHT Revengeorrepentance:Josephandhisbrothers

Douglas Kindschi encounter with the pharaoh, who is both- who they still see only as the Egyptian ruler he repented of his earlier selfish ways and Director, Kaufman Interfaith ered by dreams that Joseph interprets as a named Zaphenath-Paneah. Joseph plans offered himself as the slave. It was at this Institute, GVSU warningofafuturefamineforwhichprepa- the next step as a controlled experiment in point that Joseph could reveal his identity. ration must be made. repentance. It is not revenge that he seeks, Sacks notes that they had earlier treated Last week we discussed Joseph’s status profoundly changes, and since repeatedly the text says he weeps in theirbrotherasastrangerwhentheysold the issue of sibling rivalry as portrayed in he is put in charge of the famine prepara- private as the story unfolds. him into slavery. “Now they must learn that Genesis with reference to Isaac-Ishmael tion, given an Egyptian name and made When the brothers are sent on their way the stranger, Zaphenath-Paneah, ruler of and Jacob-Esau. In his book “Not in God’s second only to pharaoh. As the famine hits with the grain, Joseph has a goblet secretly Egypt, is actually their brother.” Name,” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks also has an Jacob and his family, he sends his sons, placed in Benjamin’s bag. Joseph’s officers Sacks continues, “Perfect repentance intriguing chapter dealing with the rivalry except for his youngest, Benjamin, to Egypt overtake them with the accusation of the comes about when you find yourself in the between Joseph and his brothers. to buy grain. They appear before Joseph stolen goblet, which is found in Benjamin’s same situation but this time you act differ- We remember the story of the spoiled and bow down to him but do not recognize sack. They must now return to face the ently. That is proof in action of a change in youngersonofJacobandhiscoatofmany him as their brother, thus fulfilling the early charges assuming they would all be made heart.” colors. Joseph loved to tell his dreams of his dream that Joseph had predicted. slaves. Joseph instead says that only Benja- In that final chapter of Genesis, Joseph brothers bowing down before him. Further- Sacks says that the story now takes a minmustremainandtheotherscangofree. says: “You meant evil against me; but God more, Jacob, we are told, loved Joseph more wholly counterintuitive turn. Rather than At this moment of crisis, Judah steps for- meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20) Sacks than any other of his children, which led to it being the story of the younger son vindi- ward and pleads for the youngest to be set affirms “the power of a religious vision to hatred from his brothers, and they “could cated and the reconciliation, Joseph instead free and that he would instead remain as reframe history, liberating ourselves from notspeakpeaceablytohim.”(Genesis37:4) accuses them of being spies and demands the slave. At this point Joseph finally breaks the otherwise violent dynamic of revenge When communication fails, violence is that they bring the youngest son Benjamin down and reveals that he is their brother and retaliation. … .The point could not be often the next step, and the brothers plot his back to verify their story. This demand is and that God had sent him there ahead of more significant in the context of the sibling death. Noting a caravan heading to Egypt, disturbing to the brothers, who know their them in order to save lives. rivalry between Judaism, Christianity and they instead sell him into slavery and tell father Jacob will be most reluctant to let Judah’s response is what Rabbi Sacks Islam. The past does not dictate the future. hisfatherhewasdevouredbyawildbeast. the youngest return with them. The oldest calls the moment of repentance. Judah had To the contrary, a future of reconciliation In Egypt, he becomes a slave in the house son, Judah, the one who proposed Joseph’s previously been placed in a similar situa- can … retroactively redeem the past.” of Potiphar, an officer of the pharaoh. When sale into slavery, finally pledges to take full tion when he proposed selling Joseph into Canwealsoaffirmthepowerofrepen- he resists the attempts of Potiphar’s wife to responsibility for Benjamin’s safe return. slavery so he could save himself. Now, he tance, seek reconciliation, and see the seduce him, she accuses him of the indis- Upon their return with Benjamin, they could have again turned his back on the stranger as a brother? cretion, which lands Joseph in prison. His are no longer treated as spies but are lav- youngest brother, letting him be kept in ability to interpret dreams leads him to an ishly entertained at the home of Joseph, slavery. Instead, Judah acted differently; [email protected]