17th December, Thursday I. Gen 49:2.8-10
II. Mt 1:1-17Theme: “our Lord does not keep score of our past”
Today’s Gospel we have the genealogy from St. Mathew’s Gospel. Among the four Evangelists’ only two speak of the genealogy of Jesus: Matthew and Luke. The difference among the two is Matthew mentions four women names (Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, and Bathsheba) besides Mary but Luke does not.
Matthew mentions these names for some reasons: Firstly, all four women except Mary; Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, and Bathsheba were gentiles. So, Matthew shows us that God’s plan of salvation includes gentiles from the very beginning. Secondly, they conceived their sons outside the normal Laws. Finally, these four women played an important role in God’s plan and became instruments of God’s providence. From this clan the saviour is born to us. Through this Matthew probably wants to tell us that God wants all to be saved because God does not belong to any particular group or people or nation. The women that are mentioned from the Old Testament were not as pure as Mary but Matthew shows us that how God can take this combination of scandalous and irregular union and with divine intervention can become a channel of grace to others. As we are in the season of Advent it calls us to prepare the way for the Lord so we shall mend our ways today than never, like the Gentile women when it was their turn they did and become a worthy instrument of our Lord so too we shall cast off the works of darkness and live a radical Christian life as we welcome Christ the light of our lives into our hearts every day.
Bro. Martin
I BTH