A Promise Long In Coming
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
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. (Mt 1:1,17)
The people of God waited a long time for the coming of the Messiah. When Jesus’ history was being recorded by the gospel writers, they wanted to trace His lineage through the years not only to prove that He was the promised one born from David’s royal line but that the people’s forefathers going back generations were part of the promise as well.
Our personal history is important to each and every one of us. Even when we do not want to admit it.
We might not like our genealogies. We might be embarrassed by some of the members of our family trees. However, our forebears and the forebears before them are all a crucial part of who we are. They ground us. They give us identity. They make us who we are, whether we perceive that for good or for ill.
We are presented with Jesus’ lineage today because we begin Late Advent Weekdays: the final “countdown” for Christmas, if you will. Each day, we bring to mind one of the “O Antiphons” which speaks of Jesus’ history.
Today’s antiphon is O Sapientia (O Wisdom). The Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jesus — a Spirit of Wisdom.
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
FAITH ACTION: Genealogies are important and, yet, imperfect. Pray for the people in your family who may be on the fringes and who may need your prayers.