Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 17, 2021
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.
Johann became the father of Samuel, Samuel the father of Benjamin, Benjamin the father of Douglas, Douglas the father of Gail, and Gail the mother of John—that’s me. To most readers, these names are meaningless. To me and members of my family, this brief genealogy tells the story of emigration from Switzerland, of settlement in Oregon, and of the generations that have lived on our family’s farm.
The lengthy genealogy given in today’s gospel might seem even more boring than my short one. But, if we listen carefully, it likewise recalls the saga of God’s providential care for Israel.
That story moves from the call of Abraham, through the splendors and disgraces of the kings, through the desolation of exile, and finally to the birth of the Messiah, who “will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).
Today’s gospel comes from the beginning of Matthew. At the very end of Matthew, Jesus commands his disciples to go to all nations, to preach, and to baptize. We are rightly reminded of Jesus’ own baptism. Through the grace of baptism, each one of us can hear the Father’s voice saying to us, “This is my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Jesus has united us to his own story and we are thus joined to his genealogy.
As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth this Christmas, let us consider how our own stories are folded into his, swept up by grace into the eternal love of the Father.
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.