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.
The Family Path
1. Genealogy. This passage reminds us that Jesus had a family, a background, and an identity. In the same way, it’s important for you to recognize your own journey—your family’s history, the stories and struggles that have shaped you, and the influence of your family’s traditions and worldview. As a Philosophy professor at the seminary once said, “If someone truly wants to know their future spouse, they should get to know their family.”
2. The women. Apart from Mary, the women mentioned in the Gospel had complicated or questionable pasts. This teaches us that God is free to work through anyone, in any circumstance, and He alone touches and changes hearts. Life doesn’t always make sense; unexpected and illogical events happen, and sometimes you may wonder, “Why is this happening to me?”
3. To follow. All of this points us along a path—the story leading to Christmas. It’s about directing everything toward the coming birth of Jesus. Today, prepare your heart by reflecting on and accepting your family. Consider your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and think about how your identity is rooted in your family, because that’s where you come from.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
