Thursday, December 17, 2020

Liber generationis (Mt. 1:1)

 


The birth of Jesus was introduced by Matthew with Family Tree of Jesus. From Jesus, drawn back to David to Abraham. There are three times fourteen generations. The most important thing is not the number or the order, but Matthew wants to make sure that Jesus is really God, really human. God's promises to Abraham and David were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

From the Family Tree that are mostly male names, there are female names, such as Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife), and Mary. Their background is not perfect. Tamar is a harlot. Ruth is a foreign woman, not a native Israeli. David seized Bathsheba from Uriah in a cruel way. Mary was pregnant before she married Joseph.

Jesus wants to be present in the midst of an imperfect human condition. God shows how much he loves humans. The Lord saw man's imperfection and used it to reveal His Son. Jesus was born and became a weak and fragile human being. As humans, we often have bad experiences. Let us not give up too quickly. Who knows, God uses that bad situation for a greater purpose.

By Fr. Fransiskus Diaz, SVD.

No comments:

Post a Comment