Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 17, 2022
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.
The Gospel of Mark starts with the drama of Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah, the ministry of John the Baptist, followed by the baptism of Jesus himself—lots of action! By comparison, our gospel reading today seems to offer us nothing but a tedious genealogy.
In reality, this condensed summary of 42 generations is quite a cast of characters. Our earthly families are a motley bunch, and not even Jesus is spared this reality.
Early on, we are introduced to Jacob, who wrestled with God and was permanently wounded. How often have we wrestled with God and been injured by disappointment, doubt, and anxieties? Yet we continue to believe our Lord has something greater in store for us.
How about Rahab? She was a prostitute, a wounded sinner like us all. But God didn’t write her off—nor so any of us.
And then there’s Ruth, the outsider. After her Israelite husband dies, she makes Bethlehem her home, where she becomes the great-grandmother of David, arguably the most significant figure of the Old Testament. And why was he great? He is distinguished by being a “man after God’s own heart.” (1 Sam 13:14) But even he was shameless in his murder and adultery.
Why is this all important?
Because, at last, we are told of a Davidic descendant named Joseph, Mary’s husband. “Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” (MT 1:17)
And this Jesus, the divine son of God Almighty, humbled himself to lay claim to his family, not just his earthly family, but his universal family, the church. He entered into this world to share our humanity purely out of love for us. Jesus Christ entered headlong into our sin, brokenness, and dysfunction. And he did it all to redeem us.
How glorious is the incarnate God of our salvation!
Prayer
Lord our God you bless us with a holy history. Today the Gospel recalls for us the names of our ancient ancestors who have passed on to us the story of your divine love. Unbroken is the line of that descendance, beginning with the life of our father, Abraham of Ur of the Chaldeans, and ending with our brother, Jesus of Nazareth. Teach us to be worthy of such a divine call until our hope is finally realized in the eternal kingdom of your Son, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. John of Matha dedicated his priesthood to saving captive Christians, and his confidence in God's help with that endeavor even saved him from shipwreck.
John was born in France in 1160, and lived as a hermit for a while. He went on for studies at the University of Paris, where he earned his doctorate in theology. During his schooling, he was ordained a priest, and when he celebrated his first Mass, he had a vision that urged him to dedicate his life to freeing Christians who had been captured during the crusades.
John sought advice about this vision. He heard of a reclusive hermit and holy man, St. Felix of Valois, and he went and lived with him for a time. The two decided to begin a religious order dedicated to freeing Christians being held for ransom by Muslims in north Africa.
On this date in 1198, the two saints went to Rome and received the approval of the pope to found the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, known as the Trinitarians. Members of the order raised money in Europe and then traveled to north Africa to ransom many captives. John himself traveled to Tunis several times and freed more than 100 slaves on each trip. The order grew and spread through France, Spain, Italy, and England.
During his second trip, Muslim captors grew angry with John because he gave prisoners hope and urged them to constancy in their faith. Muslims raided his ship, removed the helm, and tore the sails so that John and his freed Christians would be lost at sea. John was full of confidence in God, however, and the Christians on the ship rigged their cloaks as sails. During their journey, John held a crucifix and knelt on the bow, praying psalms, and the ship arrived to Italy in safety.
St. John of Matha died on this date in 1213. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
St. John of Matha, you spent your life setting captives free—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. John of Matha is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed November 1, 2024.