Today's Good News Reflection

Today's Gospel reading might seem boring; it's nothing but a list of names. But if you knew who these people were (their struggles, their misfortunes, their sins, their triumphs), you'd find this passage to be quite fascinating.

When we compare the genealogies of Jesus in Luke's and Matthew's Gospels, we notice differences in who is included and who's not. The reason: The writers Luke and Matthew had different purposes and points to convey.

Luke was writing to Gentiles; he wanted to prove that Jesus is the Savior of the whole human race, so he traced the roots of Jesus back to everyone's common ancestor, Adam.

Matthew starts with Abraham in order to prove that Jesus was a true Jew. His list includes King David as a forerunner of Jesus the Messiah, because David was a ruler who was specially anointed by God. And Matthew lists others who either prophesied or foreshadowed Jesus. In doing this, Matthew conveys that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies.

Our heritage affects who we are and what we do with our lives. Look at your family tree from the perspective of faith. Which ancestral parents (and other relatives) gave birth to Jesus in your family's heritage? Who have passed on to you the Christian faith? Who prayed? Who incorporated their faith into daily activities? Who had conversion experiences?

Who neglected the faith they inherited? Who rebelled against it? Who chose to follow immoral paths?

Matthew's list includes some rotten apples on Jesus' family tree: people who sinned in big ways, some who didn't even trust God at all. Jacob, whom we read about in today's first reading, was a liar and a thief and stole his twin brother's birthright in order to obtain the top position in the family. Ahaz, who was another member of Jesus' family heritage, was weak, amoral, and vain.

However, the good news that we learn from Jesus the Messiah is that God heals diseased branches to make them produce good fruits. Thus he proves that God is superior over everything and that he himself is supreme goodness.

For example, it was because of Ahaz's rebellion that Isaiah prophesied the well-known sign from God of the coming of the Messiah: "The virgin shall conceive and bear a son named Emmanuel."

In all kinds of ways, both good and bad, your ancestors have given you the gift of Jesus -- or else you would not be interested in reading this reflection today. Thank God for these people! Many of them are now enjoying closeness to him in heaven, so give them your prayer requests and enlist their support. Others are in purgatory, and even there they are praying for you and rejoicing because of how your faith has grown. You are united with all of them in the communion of saints. Value this heritage.

How are you giving birth to Jesus on your family tree? What are your failures? Convert those rotten fruits into good ones by turning them over to Jesus.