When he was at table with them, he took the bread. He blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him!(Luke 24:13-35)

Friday, December 16, 2011

Family ties

I hope one day to be able to read the beginning of St. Matthew’s gospel without tripping over the pronunciation of some of the names in his recitation of the genealogy of Jesus Christ all the way back to Abraham! (Mt 1:1-17I used to think it was “nice to know” the history of Jesus’ family, but I never imagined I would ever  meditate on why it was important enough to be included in the Scriptures. 

I think the genealogy is to help us understand that Jesus Christ was like us in all things. He came from a family that had more than a few members who might not be the kind of people "nice" people hang around with. But is that a way of judging the person who resulted from the lineage? For some it was. But part of this teaching is that Jesus Christ rose above His human ancestry, and such a possibility is open for all of us. With grace we can be better than we can without it. Someone might look at our families judgmentally and say that we come from a line of "losers." But that is only to external appearances.  Lol.

Anyone who joins God's family through faith and grace transcends the worst past and betters the best. There's nothing as comforting to me as being a child of our Loving Father who overcomes all obstacles, who makes even the shadiest past a source of glory and light for the world. That we are the children of sinners—and the parents of sinners—is subsumed in His grace and love.  We become children of Light and Love; all else is meaningless.

As we await the birth of Our Lord, anticipating Christmas in so many ways, let’s recall our heavenly family. Let’s have frequent occasion to talk to Mary, our Mother, Joseph our foster-father, Jesus our Brother, and most of all to spend quality time with God, our all-loving and gracious Father.

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