From Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions (Jan/Feb/Mar 2026)

Lenten Weekday

Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a + Psalm 105:16-21 + Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Creating a Clean Heart 

They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Genisis 37:28

Jealousy, a perceived threat to a relationship, is on full display in this familial soap opera. Unsuspecting Joseph, wearing the long tunic his father had made for him, arrives to help his brothers. So great was their rage that, even from a distance, their hatred called for his death, spread only by alternate suggestions from Reuben and Judah. The market value for Joseph’s life seems to have been twenty pieces of silver.

Two weeks into our Lenten journey, the story of Joseph invites us into an examen of sorts. We know that a jealous heart can stir up our own insecurities and blind us to others’ goodness. As we ask the Holy One to create a clean heart in us, we might look for any hard edges, any withholding of praise or congratulations, any reluctance to acknowledge the gifts of others. If we discover that, may we work with the Holy One to grow in us a more tender and affirming spirit.

□ Sr. Chris Koellhoffer, I.H.M.