The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, 8 days from Christmas, invite us to consider our spiritual genealogy.
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| Family gathers |
The reading from the Book of Genesis describes how Lion Judah will rise up from the descendants of Jacob.
* [49:10] Until tribute comes to him: this translation is based on a slight change in the Hebrew text, which, as it stands, would seem to mean, “until he comes to Shiloh.” A somewhat different reading of the Hebrew text would be, “until he comes to whom it belongs.” This last has been traditionally understood in a messianic sense. In any case, the passage aims at the supremacy of the tribe of Judah and of the Davidic dynasty.1
Psalm 72, a royal Psalm, is a prayer for guidance and support for the king as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice.
* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts.2
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah is presented in the Gospel of Matthew.
* [1:17] Matthew is concerned with fourteen generations, probably because fourteen is the numerical value of the Hebrew letters forming the name of David. In the second section of the genealogy (Mt 1:6b–11), three kings of Judah, Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, have been omitted (see 1 Chr 3:11–12), so that there are fourteen generations in that section. Yet the third (Mt 1:12–16) apparently has only thirteen. Since Matthew here emphasizes that each section has fourteen, it is unlikely that the thirteen of the last was due to his oversight. Some scholars suggest that Jesus who is called the Messiah (Mt 1:16b) doubles the final member of the chain: Jesus, born within the family of David, opens up the new age as Messiah, so that in fact there are fourteen generations in the third section. This is perhaps too subtle, and the hypothesis of a slip not on the part of Matthew but of a later scribe seems likely. On Messiah, see note on Lk 2:11.3
Steve Scholer reminds us that in addition to our earthly families, we are also part of the largest family of all, God’s family. It is with our earthly families, we have an active role to play not only to sustain God’s family, but to see it grow in strength and importance. For as Jesus says in Matthew 12:49, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
As we head into the final week of Advent ready to celebrate the most wondrous event for all families, the birth of a child, and for us the birth of our Savior, let’s be thankful for not only being a part of our earthly family, but also a part of God’s family. And as members of God’s family we need to look at the person in the pew next to us at church, ahead of us at the grocery store checkout line, or shuffling to the homeless shelter, as part of our family, for we – all of us – are children of God. Let us love, respect, obey, and imitate all that is good not only among our earthly families, but among our heavenly family.4
Don Schwager quotes “Judah who received the promise of royalty foreshadows the Christ the King,” by Rufinus of Aquileia (340-410 AD).
"This can be referred to the historical Judah as well as to those kings who were his descendants (Genesis 49:8-10). They broke the back of their enemies by administering the kingdom of that people. But this can also be fittingly referred to Christ, who is praised with good reason by his brothers, that is, by the apostles whom he himself called brothers in the Gospel. And his enemies, on whose back is his hand, appear to be those whom the Father promised to place under his feet by saying, 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet' (Psalm 110:1). They are enemies as long as they are unbelieving and unfaithful, and for that reason they are struck on the back. But after their conversion they become brothers and praise the One who, by summoning them to the adoption of the Father, has made them his coheirs and brothers. It is said correctly that the back of the enemies is struck by Christ. All those who worshiped the idols turned their back to God, as the Lord, through the prophet, accused them by saying, 'They turned their backs to me, and not their faces' (Jeremiah 2:27). Therefore he strikes their back so that after being converted they may turn their back to the idols and raise their forehead to God and may accomplish what is written here: 'Your father's sons shall bow down before you.' In fact, they adore him when they have become sons of the Father and have received the spirit of adoption in which they cry out, 'Abba, Father' (Romans 8:15-16)." No one calls Jesus Christ Lord except those who are in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). (excerpt from THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.5)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 1:1-17 asks what does the Evangelist reveal about our heritage?
First, you have a heritage of faith. Some names are familiar: Abraham. Jacob. Joseph. Mary. You may recall their stories and marvel at the opposition they endured as they strove to stay faithful to God. You may want to celebrate their lives just as you might cherish the memories of your grandparents. You may also want to celebrate the fact that their faith flows in you—they can teach you how to believe and trust in God.
Second, you have a heritage of mercy. Like any family tree, this one has some surprises. Think of Rahab, the “woman of the night” who came to faith and became a forebear of Jesus. Think of Ruth, the unlikely foreigner. Even King David had a checkered history. God’s mercy was big enough to cover them all. And it’s big enough to cover you.6
Friar Jude Winkler explains the connection of the passage from Genesis to the dynasty of King David. The gematria of the numeric value of the consonants in David is 14. Friar Jude comments that Matthew is positioning Christ as the “David est.”
Ian Boxall, associate professor of New Testament at the Catholic University of America, comments that examples of gematria can be found in several Jewish and early Christian texts. The author of Matt 1:17 probably used it to make connections between the genealogy of Jesus, the “Son of David” (Matt 1:1) and David’s name in Hebrew (D + W + D = 4 + 6 + 4 = 14). Thus Jesus’ genealogy is divided into three sets of fourteen generations, reflecting the importance of David’s number.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that whenever we do anything stupid, cruel, evil, or destructive to ourselves or others, we are at that moment unconscious—unconscious of our identity. If we were fully conscious, we would never be violent, even in our thoughts, toward anyone. Loving people are always highly conscious people. To rely on any substance or habit is to become unconscious.
To be fully conscious would be to love everything on some level and in some way—even our mistakes. To love is to fall into full consciousness, which is contemplative, non-dualistic, and includes everything—even “the last enemy to be destroyed, which is death itself” (see 1 Corinthians 15:26). That is why we must love. Only love is stronger than death.7
Being conscious of the story of our human family reveals the interaction of our ancestors with the Spirit and confirms our mission to be conscious of our human family today.
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