It is God's incomprehensible mercy – Mt 1:1-17
It is God's incomprehensible mercy that the Son of God chose to become the Son of Man. As a human being, he was born from one of us, Mary, and had human ancestors. Let us try to comment on this list of His human ancestors. The most important two are mentioned in the first sentence of His genealogy. Jesus is the son of David and the son of Abraham. Son of this Abraham, who is the model of total entrustment to God and who was promised that in him all nations will be blessed. And the son of this David, to whom God has promised that from him will be born one who will reign forever.
Among the Savior's ancestors are not only the righteous, such as Isaac, but also sinners, such as the ungodly King Manasseh. Even pious King David committed great crimes, but fortunately he did penance. As we can see, even the list of the ancestors of the Lord Jesus shows us how much we needed a Savior.
The four women whom the Evangelist placed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ deserve attention: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Three of them are great sinners, and all four are foreigners. Tamar seduced her father-in-law, Rahab was a prostitute, and Bathsheba's adultery led to the murder of her husband Uriah. These four women indicate that the Lord Jesus, who was born as the son of Abraham, as the son of the chosen people, is also the son of all mankind. Humanity plunged into idolatry - this is shown by the sinfulness of these women (let us not forget that in the Old Testament, idolatry is often presented as adultery).
The Immaculate Virgin Mary, from whom Jesus was born, contrasts with these four women. The distance between those sinners and Mary wonderfully reflects the greatness and splendor of the gift of salvation. Those sinners are a picture of humanity alienated from God and plunged into sin. With her holiness, Mary announces that humanity which Christ the Lord will ultimately lead to salvation.
Let us also note that in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus, the Evangelist placed an evident signal that the end times had begun at the moment of His birth. Namely, this genealogy is divided into three sections of fourteen generations. So, it's been six times seven generations now. The seventh period begins with the Savior's birth. The seventh, is the last period (the seventh, as we remember, symbolizes the fullness of time). Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is God's last gift to humanity, only in Him can we receive eternal life.
One more thought
The lineage of the Lord Jesus reminds us that God entered the history of the world. The history of the world is a sequence of various biographies, which in turn are a sequence of various human decisions. And God entered this as a living one, also having his own biography and making his own, often surprising decisions. God is not on the side of history. He is in it. He is in the history of everyone's life. We can ignore Him, but we can also look carefully so as not to overlook even the smallest manifestation of His presence. God is not the only "component" of history, and therefore He can be omitted or treated as an insignificant addition to the reality that surrounds us. But we can also make Him the most important "ingredient" of our life. The choice is ours. Our biography depends on this choice, and the history of the world depends on our biography.
Do not forget to pray for Holy Father today! Pope Francis celebrates his birthday
Today Pope Francis is celebrating his 84th birthday. Today, wishes from leaders of states, governments, religious figures, people of science and culture from all over the world reach Rome. Let us all remember this day to pray for the Holy Father, asking God to grant him the graces he needs, the light of the Holy Spirit and the courage to proclaim Christ to the world.
Pope Francis was born on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires as Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Of the four siblings, only his 72-year-old sister Maria Elena is still alive. In 1958, after graduating from a chemical technical college, he joined the Society of Jesus. He was ordained a priest on December 13, 1969 by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano, Archbishop of Córdoba, On May 20, 1992, Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. He was consecrated on June 27 by Cardinal Antonio Quarracino. As his episcopal motto, he chose the words: “Miserando atque eligendo - He looked with mercy and chose". He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires on November 30, 1998. Three years later, Pope John Paul II included him in the College of Cardinals. He took part in the conclave at which Benedict XVI was elected. Even then, he was a seriouscandidate to be Bishop of Rome.
He was elected eight years later, on March 13, 2013. He was the first pope in the history of the Church to take the name of Francis. He is also the first South American bishop of Rome and the first pope of the Society of Jesus.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george