Daily Readings - Mon Dec 17 2018

Genesis

2"Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.8"Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.9Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Matthew

1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.2Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,3and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,4and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,5and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,6and Jesse the father of David the king.And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,7and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,8and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,9and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,10and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,11and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.12And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,13and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,14and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,15and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,16and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.17So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the unfolding of God’s plan and the significance of lineage in the story of salvation. In the first reading from Genesis, Jacob gathers his sons to bless them, focusing particularly on Judah. He prophesies that Judah will be a leader, a lion’s cub, and that the scepter of leadership will remain with him until the one to whom it belongs comes. This passage is rich with Messianic overtones, pointing to the ultimate leader who will arise from Judah’s line. The Gospel reading from Matthew is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing his lineage from Abraham to Joseph, the husband of Mary. This list of names may seem dry at first glance, but it is deeply meaningful. It shows how Jesus is rooted in the history of God’s people, connecting him to great figures like Abraham, David, and Ruth. It also reminds us that even in the messy and imperfect lives of those who came before him, God was preparing the way for the Savior. The structure of the genealogy—divided into three sets of fourteen generations—underscores the divine order and purpose behind Jesus’ birth. These readings together teach us about the patience and providence of God. The promise made to Judah in Genesis is fulfilled in Jesus, as Matthew’s genealogy makes clear. This reminds us that our lives, like the lives of those in the genealogy, are part of a larger story. We may not always see the full picture, but we can trust that God is working through us to bring about his plan. Let us reflect on how we might cooperate with God’s will in our own lives, just as the ancestors of Jesus played their part in preparing the way for him. May we, like Judah, trust in God’s timing and leadership, knowing that he is always at work, even when we cannot see the fullness of his plan.