Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Matthew 1: 1-17
December  17, 2025 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

This is the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of David, the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah’s wife.

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings: Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah.

Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ the Messiah.

There were then fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ.

Today’s Reflection

The Gospel passage presents Jesus’ genealogy, a diverse and inclusive lineage. Closely examining this genealogy unveils Jesus’ profound teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven. This realm embraces a mixed group of virtuous and flawed individuals, just like his ancestors.

On the one hand, the genealogy denotes that Jesus is connected to Israel’s great tradition and heroic past. Jesus goes back to Abraham—the father of the Jews and to David—the most excellent King of Israel. On the other hand, scrutinizing the names mentioned in the genealogy would reveal that many of Jesus’ ancestors were inept men and women of ill repute. However, it’s important to note that these individuals, despite their flaws, were chosen by God to be part of Jesus’ lineage. All four women in the genealogy were not only of foreign origin but also, in some ways, sexual deviants. Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah, who seduced Judah by disguising herself as a prostitute to raise children for her deceased husband, who was Judah’s son. Her sexual exploitation resulted in the birth of one of Jesus’ ancestors—Perez. Likewise, the wife of Uriah, who was known as Bathsheba, committed adultery with King David, and the result of this adulterous affair was another famous King of Israel— Solomon.

Let us draw inspiration from the Lord’s genealogy as we celebrate the Lord’s incarnation. Remember that Jesus fully shares in and understands our human condition, being a mix of good and evil. In the same way that our society is a mix of excellent and ill-intentioned people, each of us is a mix of Saint Theresa and Adolf Hitler. Therefore, let us become less negatively critical and more accepting and affirming of each other, knowing that Jesus also understands our complexities.

/Vulnerasti, 2025