Lineage seems unnecessary

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate the feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary. The texts tell of the expectation among the Jews of “Emmanuel” or” God is with us” to arise from humble Bethlehem. The lineage of Jesus is presented from the beginning to His birth as the son of Mary. The question of “Who is Jewish?” can traditionally be determined by matrilineal descent. The son of a Jewish woman is Jewish. Mary who was born as a Jew and who personified trust as she consented to the will of God to be with child and not be married became the path for “Emmanuel” to be completely “God with us” in fully human form. This transcendent mystery is at the core of the intimacy which God is inviting people to know. How close is the Divine? Through Mary “the Word has become flesh and dwells among us”. The implications of this relationship with God, desired by the ancients, and even now poorly appreciated by humanity are huge! Jesus lineage puts the Divine in time and space and history. Certainly this was not necessary for God. It is completely necessary for humanity.