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 Christ.

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.”

Genealogy of Jesus

1. The history. Yes, Jesus’ history speaks to us and shows us that in the course of time, in his ancestors, there were great heroes as well as great sinners. This shows that God was also in those who sinned. This should encourage us to look at our own history and not be afraid to see our achievements and failures, to look at our virtues and to look at our sins, as well. God’s hand is also in you and me, and God’s work in others, through us, does not stop because of our failings or our history. On the contrary, it is fulfilled because God uses your history and your mistakes to show us how immense He is. Do not give up!  Accepting your past will lead to your future being fulfilled.

2. Mary. Today we celebrate the Nativity of Mary. She shows us that being docile to the Holy Spirit can help us to always be instruments of God, so that He can work in others. Let yourself be touched by God’s hand and learn to trust him as Mary did. Ask Mary today for the gift of trust and abandonment in God.

3. Consecrated. Today is the day for consecrated life, those who offered themselves to God in chastity, poverty, and obedience. Men or women who have made a great effort to use their charisma to proclaim God in different ways, and who succeed in showing that God exists. That is why today we offer a prayer for every nun or monk, friar, religious brother or sister. Ask the Lord to take care of them and to watch over them. We give thanks for these who offer their lives for you and for me. 

Remember, something good is on the way! 

God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.