GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 17TH DECEMBER 2016
SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT
1ST READING: Genesis 49:2, 8-10
PSALM: Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8,17
GOSPEL: Matthew 1:1-17
THEME: GOD IS FAITHFUL
Many of us have had experiences of “promise and fail”. Friends and loved ones make promises to us but unfortunately, they do not always keep them. Consequently, we are often not certain of who is trustworthy with reference to promises. In the readings of today, we see the faithfulness of God in keeping his promise.
The Gospel text begins with the statement, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mat 1:1). The author then proceeds to substantiate this statement by highlighting certain key characters in the ancestry of Jesus starting from Abraham and ending with Joseph, the husband of Mary. It is Joseph who would become the legal foster-father of Jesus. In accordance with Jewish customs, Jesus would receive full hereditary rights through him, even though he was adopted.
In the First Reading, Jacob spoke of Judah, one of his sons, saying, “… your brothers shall praise you…your father’s sons shall bow down before you…The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the peoples is his” (Gen 49:8,10). The messiah was destined to be associated with the tribe of Judah and rightly so, at the appropriate time it became a reality.
Of particular interest in the genealogy, as presented by Matthew, is the apparent human brokenness and frailties in the family tree of Jesus. For example, three of the women mentioned in the list, namely, Tamar, Rahab, and the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba) are associated with some form of sexual immorality (cf. Gen. 38:12-26; Josh 2:1; 2Sam 11:2-5). Even Solomon, reputed for his wisdom, allowed his heart to be swayed, in his old age, by his wives and he built high places for their gods (cf. 1Kgs 11:4-8).
The genealogy of Jesus is therefore a source of consolation for every broken home. You may have been born out of an adulterous relationship or under some bizarre circumstances. Perhaps in the history of your family, certain things may have gone wrong. In spite of all those cracks in one’s family, the providential plan of God is able to stand the test of time and God is able to write straight even on crooked lines.
The promises made to Abraham (cf. Gen. 22:15-18) and David (2Sam 7:12; Acts 2:30-31) were fulfilled in the person of Jesus. When God makes a promise, he fulfils it. Even if it delays, per our human reckoning, it will surely come to pass, in God’s time.
Prayer: Eternal Father, I celebrate your faithfulness today and I renew my trust in you. I choose to continue waiting upon you, for in your time you make all things beautiful. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).