“We can draw strength, love and so many other blessings from our ancestors as we learn about them, practice gratitude for them, and perform sacred ordinances for them in the temple” If Only Our Ancestors Could Talk by Sheiyenne Baloo
What has this got to do with the gospel reading today? We are presented with a genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, arranged into three neat sections of fourteen generations all connected to Abraham and David. What is it about all these generations of people named that should even attract our attention?
Our Story Matters
These days more people spend time researching their origins. They want to know where they came from. Who are the people that in some way influence who they are and have become? In East Africa, given the great impact of tribes on people’s lives, we take pride and honor in the ability of being able, whenever we introduce ourselves, to also name three to four past generations from which we originate. Why, because those ancestors form an important part of our life story; they provide roots, or the foundation on which life is built. They are a source of blessings to who we are as individuals.
We Are Rooted in Christ's Story
The genealogy affirms that Jesus indeed is a descendant of Abraham. It is part of our story as believers in Christ. It points to the blessing that foreshadows God’s fulfillment in raising up his anointed in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
- The genealogy of Jesus gives us a glimpse into who Jesus is and why we should joyously wait for his coming. He was fully human and like us; he had an ancestry; he was shaped by those roots. Yet he is also divine in sense that, He is one who came to fulfill God’s promises that all will be blessed and redeemed.
- Jesus is coming to bring great good out of human sin and brokenness. We are blessed for the very fact, that in and through him we are adopted into what we refer to as a holy nation of God. From now on we are to be sons and daughters of the living God.
- The Advent of Jesus marks the beginning of God’s ultimate work of redeeming that broken, bruised and groaning humanity. Genealogy projects us into a future filled with clarity of mind and heart, filled with strength hope that all will be well.
- The genealogy points to a new beginning in the story of God’s relationship with his people through Jesus the Messiah. It provides us with a strong foundation and roots on which our faith is built.
Therefore, as we read and reflect on the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the invitation for us is to recognize that all the names mentioned had a role to play in the coming of Jesus. And that God’s mercy and kindness is quietly and discreetly being extended to all of us. Given the fact those listed in the genealogy of Jesus were anything but paragons of virtue, we too, in spite of our own personal fragilities and weakness, can still have a role to play in bringing Jesus, Emmanuel, to all those who continue to long for his coming.
- Today’s Readings
- Father Fulgen's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join, too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
