The gospel for mass today is about the genealogy of Jesus Christ. (Mt 1: 1-16) In the first reading from the book of Genesis, Jacob also talks to his sons about their bloodline as well. How many times have our own parents and grandparents talked to us about our relatives and ancestors? It is something that all families take pride in, even if they have a somewhat “colorful” family history.
The stories about our ancestors are told and retold to each generation. It’s fascinating to hear about their lives, because our ancestors lived in much different circumstances than we do. Most of us have both sinners and saints in our family line, but one thing that is certain, is that the lives of the people who came before us was never boring. The bible is like that too. The stories in the bible are anything but boring, especially those found in the old testament and of course Christ’s own life.
But, sadly, many of the stories in our own families die out after an elderly grandmother or grandfather passes away. One of the greatest gifts we could leave for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren though, would be to record these stories so they would know about their family history. So many families do not take the time to do this because they do not realize the importance of passing on the knowledge about their family to future generations. They may think their family line really isn’t all that special, and yet little do they know that their lives are very special to their descendents. Many modern people spend years researching their family tree, trying to find out even the smallest details about their ancestors.
When Abraham, Moses and Jacob were alive though, their generations realized the value of passing on the family stories to the next generation. If they had not done so, then we would not have known Christ’s bloodline. This knowledge did not just magically appear when people realized what an important person Jesus Christ was.
It is very interesting to read about Christ’s own ancestors, because they were not perfect people. Jesus’ bloodline included people like King David, who was both a murderer and an adulterer. At Christmas time, we hear a lot that Jesus was from the line of David and when we do, we should remember that Christ’s own family wasn’t perfect. It’s ok that ours isn’t either. Jesus had both sinners and saints in his own family line and God used each one of them for his own purpose, even if they didn’t realize it at the time. Who would have thought that the son of Christ would come from King David if you were present during the time he committed adultery, conceived a child with another man’s wife and then had him murdered? When King David repented in sackcloth and ashes, it must have been a heart wrenching thing to behold, and yet, Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, became his descendent.
What we might be able to understand from today’s readings for mass is that there is no such thing as a perfect family. Jesus doesn’t expect any of us to be perfect people, or to be a perfect family. He does expect us to be loyal to him though. Loyalty to God is the common thread that was woven with love throughout every generation that led to Christ’s birth. The fruit of their generational loyalty to God, was the birth of His son through their bloodline.
God can draw a straight line with imperfect writing instruments. At the end of the ages, we shall see the masterpiece of his work. At the end of Advent, we shall experience the depth of His love for each one of us, that was born into the flesh of a human family.
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Mt 1: 1-17
1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon:Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
(14 Generations)
