Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to 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.”
In Three Steps
Today we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And, on this day, she gives us Jesus. The marvellous thing is that, although it is her birthday, she is so generous that she gives herself so that the gift may be ours. Nothing less than this: she gives us the Saviour who delivers us from our sins.
God prepared a people and a womb in which to be born. A love story answered by Mary, who cradles this God who longs to “pitch His tent” among us. Salvation reaches every marriage that welcomes Jesus into the story of their family.
Mary signifies a new beginning for the chosen people. That is why we entrust ourselves to her, so as to begin new, despite our wounds. If we are as docile as she is, and welcome the plan of Love that God has for our marriage, we shall witness great miracles.
We also look to the docility and trust of Saint Joseph, who, though feeling unworthy of so great an honour, accepted the mission entrusted to him: to guard the Saviour of humanity. In spousal prayer, husbands and wives receive their mission to collaborate in God’s plan, and, like Joseph, we feel bewildered by our smallness.
Three steps for a gift. First, Jesus waits for us to welcome Him into our marriage. Then, through the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and our self-giving, He transforms our hearts and deepens our union. This is the path of salvation. Finally, God proposes to us a mission, according to the gifts He has given, and calls us to collaborate in His plan of salvation for humanity. Shall we say yes, as the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph did?
Brought into Married Life:
Naomi: I think we did the right thing in moving to another country. It was what the family needed. Though I do miss our marriage group, the catechesis, the times of adoration… I’m afraid of loosing everything we have received.
James: That’s true. Welcoming Jesus between us, spousal prayer… it has brought about a change in our life that we never could have imagined… It has saved us!
Naomi: There are so many marriages here in this country that need to know the truth… What if what they told us is really true – that God has sent us here for them?
James : Us? Well, the Virgin would have had poor judgement indeed! No, no, no… Though we shall bring it to prayer, and let the Holy Spirit tell us.
(After that prayer, and with the bewilderment of feeling so small, they accepted the mission that the Holy Spirit entrusted to them. They went to the priest of their parish, and today many couples have come to know this gift and, with the grace of God, have been able to transform their marriage.)
Mother,
Thank you for the gift you have brought to humanity; thank you for Jesus our Saviour. Thank you, Saint Joseph, for saying yes and trusting, accepting the mission of guarding God, who had made Himself small and weak in order to assume our humanity. Praise be to God!