PRI Reflections on Scripture | Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Advent

Join Msgr. Don Fischer as he reads and delivers a short reflection on today’s gospel, followed by 3 1/2 minutes of contemplative music and a closing prayer. Msgr. Don hopes that today’s reflection on the gospel will empower you to carry the Word in your heart throughout the day.

Choose either the video or audio below.

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-17

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

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.

Reflection

If you happen to be a lecture in a parish, and comes your turn to be the reader you're hoping is not this reading.

It's so interesting because people say, well, why does this matter? And it does matter essentially to understand how God is working in your life, and in my life. He's so connected to the ordinary.

You're listening to a kind of an ancestral.com report about who your relatives are. And it's interesting and curious to think that your generations go back, but can you realize that what God is saying is, from the beginning of time, I have been working with ordinary people in ordinary circumstances, slowly enabling them to grow and evolve and change until they were ripe and ready to receive the most extraordinary gift.

Mary, being infused with the Holy Spirit and giving birth to Jesus.

It happened naturally. It continues to grow and happen naturally. I look back at the generations in my family and they were different than I am, and each generation somehow learns from the generation before. That's the process of evolving into the people that God calls us to be. The family that ultimately is the final goal is you living in God with God and feeling those around you.

Closing Prayer

Father, it's hard for us to realize that these things, marvelous things that you have accomplished in the world, were done in such a simple, ordinary, human way. It's all about us understanding how human you are and how your humanity, when it is directed toward us, awakens in us something so natural that we cannot not be drawn to your beauty, your wonder, your grace that comes to us through most ordinary ways. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Kyle Cross