Starting today, the
readings in the Advent season are not specific for the day of the week, like
they are for the usual daily masses. So, the reading for
today is not specifically for the Tuesday of the 3rd week in Advent,
but rather specific for December 17. Today, we hear the
beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, which recounts the genealogy of Jesus back
many generations. It is quite a list of
names, some of which are not easy to pronounce. It is not the day the
priest wants to go in and read the reading for the first time without
practicing. Matthew traces Jesus’
ancestors back to the patriarch of the
Jewish people, Abraham, to the great Jewish forefathers Jacob & King
David. There are interesting
& intriguing & sometimes very scandalous stories linked with the
individuals listed in Jesus’ genealogy. Another person listed is
Rahab, a prostitute whose courage and faith saved the lives of the Israelite
spies in the book of Joshua.
Genealogy & learning
about one’s ancestry has become popular in the US. Since most of us
originally came from immigrant families somewhere in our family tree, many of
us want to learn more about our roots, about where we came from. In Ancient Israel as
well, it was important to know one’s heritage and ancestry, since heritage
& lineage determined whether one was considered clean or pure in a
religious sense. Matthew wanted to show
that Jesus was in the line of God’s chosen people, the rightful heir to the
throne of David, the one to whom God fulfilled the promises he made to David
& Abraham, that he would send a Savior to Israel to rule over them & to
deliver them from their enemies.
I wonder if we see our
own spiritual history in the Gospel today? We also come from this
spiritual lineage, with our faith having been passed down to us by our own
ancestors, from those who learned their faith in the apostolic tradition. As we continue to
prepare and wait during this holy Advent season, may we give thanks for those
who passed down the faith to us. May we give thanks for the spiritual genealogy
of which we are a part.
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