Gospel: Matthew 1:1-16,
18-23
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.
Now this
is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed
to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the
Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to
expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention
when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph,
son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is
through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will
bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from
their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the
prophet:
Behold,
the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him
Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
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Reflection:
Do you
believe that parents play a critical role in the life of their children?
Today is
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, why is Mary so humble and docile to
the will of God? Is it an inherent character of Mary? The humility and docility
of Mary is a gift from God.
But it
was also influenced upon her by her parents: Joachim and Anna, it was said that
they were childless until an angel appeared to Anna and told her that she would
conceive. Somehow the appearance of the angel to Joachim and Anna would tell us
what kind of individuals the parents of Mary.
Both of
them loved God deeply—both of them were prayerful, humble and docile to the
will of God. Therefore God gifted them with a new child and that is Mary. Mary
is an epitome of humility and docility as well. Without Mary Jesus would have
not been born; thus a savior was born because of the humility and docility of
Mary.
As we
remember the birth of the Blessed Mother let us not forget the role of her
parents. Let us also not forget to inculcate upon our children the importance
of humility and docility. For it will define their character as they grow-up.
Have you
taught your children the values of humility and docility? – Marino J.
Dasmarinas