Homily: Third Friday of Advent
Third Friday of Advent (Mt. 1:1-17) “The Story Begins”
The readings today make a dramatic pivot into the story of the infancy of Jesus. The story begins with the genealogy of Jesus. Genealogies in scripture are usually bridge material. The transition here is from the story of the people of Israel to the story of the church.
The genealogy might seem to be very boring, but there are a lot of things that can cause us to think. One of the things we notice is that the genealogy of Jesus is the family tree of Joseph, not Mary. It was important to tie Jesus to David the greatest of Israel’s kings. Joseph, then was not just Jesus’ caretaker, but he was an important connection to the ancestors of the Jewish people. As we read the genealogy, we hear name after name of people whose stories are told in the Old Testament. Some of these Old Testament figures were famous, but they also carried a lot of baggage.
Abraham was the father of great nations, but he was also a man who seemed to waffle at times in his commitment to God. He laughed at God’s plans at times. He let another man take Sarah away from him so that he could save his own skin.
We have Jacob who stole his brother Esau’s birth rite. A man who reacted to his father-in-law’s dishonesty by turning into a swindler himself. He did whatever he could to build his fortune. Only later in life, did he seem to change for the better.
We have David in the genealogy. David was an adulterer and a murderer. He was a mercenary who used violence to advance himself and become King of Israel. His best quality was being able to admit his faults and to do penance.
If we look at the rest of the list, we see a family tree littered with people who were theives, people who committed various sexual sins and were killers.
What is the message in all this? The moral of the story seems to be that God can bring good out of the worst situations. Sometimes we need to remember that life is not black and white. Most times life is a mixed bag, but God’s plan is always unfolding despite human foibles.
Reflection Questions:
- Are there people in my family tree who I am not proud of? Were they evil or were they good people who made mistakes?
- Jesus was the product of a very human family. What does this teach me?
Dear Parishioners,
The Christmas liturgies are bearing down upon us. There will be heightened activity around the parish. We will be adding liturgies. When we add liturgies, we need liturgical ministers. This weekend we will have a sign up for ministries for Christmas. We will need readers, servers, ushers, extraordinary ministers and greeters. Could you help? This might involve going to a different Mass than you would like or taking on a tough job like ushering at a crowded Mass. Consider helping please.
There will be many people visiting us for the holidays. It would be nice to make a good impression on them. Being a minister at Christmas is a great act of love.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark