Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 17, 2024
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.
When I first arrived at Notre Dame last year, I couldn’t stop thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to be a student here. Even to this day, every time I walk by the Golden Dome, I think about how being at this university has been my dream forever. Now that I am here, I want to soak it all up and not waste a moment in preparation for the future.
Unfortunately, I often get caught up in thinking about the future instead of being present in the moment or appreciating the past. I forget that my parents, grandparents, and ancestors have done incredible things to get me here.
At first glance, today’s Gospel may seem unimportant or confusing. Why would Matthew introduce his Gospel with a bunch of names that most people skip over? A couple, like Abraham and David, are recognizable ancestors of Jesus with stories of their own. They were triumphant but still flawed leaders of Israel, but the rest? Who even knows how to pronounce Shealtiel?
This Gospel reminds us all to look at our past and recognize how God has worked in our lives through the quiet witnesses of those who have come before us. Where would we be without every person in our genealogy? We wouldn’t exist. To look back in gratitude is to recognize that every person, no matter how great or small in the eyes of the world, is a vital connection in God’s divine plan that brought us here today.
Prayer
God our provident Father, from the day you called Abraham to be the father of a great nation, you have been at work preparing a people for your Son, Jesus Christ. Prepare our hearts, too, and draw us to yourself by the same love that sent your only-begotten Son to be with us and to share our humanity. When he comes again in glory, grant that we may find ourselves numbered among his brothers and sisters, grafted joyfully onto the tree of your chosen people. 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.