Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 1,1-16.18-23
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 Messiah.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
When you look at your roots, it reminds you of your objective
1) Where you come from: It is important to look at your past: how you have lived your life, where you come from, what your family is like, and what your family taught you. How many things we learn by looking at our roots and the values that have influenced our life! There is a saying in Spanish, “if you want to get to know a person, look at their family”.
2) The mission: We are all called upon to complete a mission in life. You are the only one that can accomplish this mission. You must understand that this mission is for the good of others and makes you happy fulfilling it. You can refuse the mission, but it will lead to sadness and distrust.
3) The consecrated: Today we celebrate those who are consecrated. We celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary. We must be thankful to God for Mary and for all the consecrated. I think about all the cloistered monks and nuns that pray for us on a daily basis with their silent work. They dedicate their lives to God and use this dedication to speak to God about us and for us. We are very thankful for these people that give their lives; who live in community and on a daily basis give themselves fully and generously to God. There are many orders of monks and nuns that have embraced God like Mary did and the proof of their love is that they embrace chastity, poverty, and obedience.
Thank you! Thank you for embracing God and answering only to God through your charisma. Thank you for your life of prayer that helps us grow closer to God! Thank you for your mission that helps us all reach heaven.
Heaven is our goal! God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Your contribution help us to continue with our mission
God Bless You!
