Genesis 43:30 — Wednesday, August 12, 2026

At the second meeting, Joseph sees Benjamin, his younger brother, and is overcome with emotion. The verse says that Joseph made haste, for his bowels did yearn upon his brother, and entered into his chamber and wept. Joseph had kept that weeping to avoid revealing his identity, but the tenderness could not be contained. Under the mask of a stern governor there was a heart that loved and forgave. Joseph did not take revenge; he was testing his brothers to see whether they had changed, but his heart was already ready for reconciliation. Joseph's love prefigures God's love, which is moved with compassion for his own. Today we are invited to let God move our hearts with compassion. Forgiving is not pretending nothing happened; it is desiring the other's healing. Love defeats vengeance.