Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 1, 1-17
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.
God makes history
1) Elijah is the figure of the prophet who must bring order. In this time of Advent, you must take the opportunity to put your life in order and make good use of your time. We know that as the year comes to an end, we might have more time for ourselves, since there might be a pause in our daily routine. We should slow down our hurried lives. For many, holiday time is near. Perhaps it’s the moment to re-order your thoughts and your time. Take advantage of your free time to reflect and bring order to your life, because as St. Augustine says, “keep order and order will keep you.”
2) Recognize Him. There are times when we do not recognize God when He speaks to us. To hear God more clearly you should turn to confession or spiritual direction, to learn to see God in all things, in everyday events, and in daily life. It has been said “the worst spiritual director is oneself.” That’s why it’s advisable to turn to someone else to talk to, to tell them what you’re going through, and to see yourself more objectively. This helps you see God in your life.
3) Suffer. You know that we have to struggle in life and face the blows that life deals us. Today, God’s proposal is that you live your daily struggle knowing that He promises new opportunities to open up in your life.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Always remember, Heaven is our goal.
