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| “The Reconciliation of Jacob and Laban” by Ciro Ferri, 1650’s |
Reading 1: Genesis
49:2, 8-10
Jacob called his sons and
said to them:
“Assemble and listen, sons of
Jacob,
listen to Israel
“You, Judah, shall your
brothers praise
–your hand on the neck of
your enemies;
the sons of your father shall
bow down to you.
you have grown up on prey, my
son.
He crouches like a lion
recumbent,
the king of beasts–who would
dare rouse him?
The scepter shall never
depart from Judah
or the mace from between his
legs,
While tribute is brought to
him,
and he receives the people’s
homage.”
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Commentary on Gn 49:2, 8-10
To
set the context of this reading, Jacob (also known as “Israel,” son of Isaac,
son of Abraham) is on his death bed. He calls his sons to him and begins to
speak to them prophetically, telling them what they will accomplish. After
going through Reuben, Simeon, and Levi he comes to Judah. Judah, we hear, will
be praised by his older brothers and his line shall produce kings over the
land. This reading from Genesis is traditionally viewed as the beginning of the
genealogy that leads first to King David and ultimately to the Messiah, Jesus
of Nazareth, the Christ. The final verse (v.10) in Hebrew text is interpreted,
"until he comes to whom it belongs."
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment
endow the king,
and with your justice, the
king’s son;
He shall govern your people
with justice
and your afflicted ones with
judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace for ever.
The mountains shall yield
peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted
among the people,
save the children of the
poor.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his
days,
and profound peace, till the
moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the
ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace for ever.
May his name be blessed
forever;
as long as the sun his name
shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes
of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall
proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace for ever.
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Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17
Psalm
72 is one of the Royal Psalms. It was sung by the king who prayed to God for
wisdom that he would be seen as dealing justly with the people and
compassionately with the poor. David concludes this selection asking for God’s
blessing for himself and all the people he governs. We see this psalm, placed
between the beginning of the genealogy from Genesis and the genealogy of Christ
from St. Matthew’s Gospel as a song extolling the generous and compassionate
rule of the Messiah, the King to come.
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Gospel: Matthew
1:1-17
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.
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.
Thus the total number of
generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian
exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to
the Christ,
fourteen generations.
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Commentary on Mt 1:1-17
St. Matthew, speaking to a
predominantly Jewish audience who call themselves “Sons of Abraham,” produces
the genealogy of Jesus starting with Abraham. The critical purpose is to show
that Jesus was of the line of King David. This was an important demonstration
that Jesus was the Messiah as predicted in the prophetic scriptures of the Old
Testament (the “Prophets” as they were known and referenced by the Jewish
audience).
In the final verse of this
reading we see the significance of Hebrew Numerology as the numbers of
generations are counted. Recalling the most perfect number in this symbolic
system is seven (7), we see the product of two sevens in the generations from
Abraham and David, two more between King David and the Babylonian Exile, and
two more from the Exile to the Messiah. Three (the formula for the most, e.g.
holy, holy, holy equivalent to holy, holier, holiest) times the product of two
sevens, this is six (6) sevens, one short of the perfection to be achieved when
Christ will come again.
CCC: Mt 1:16 437
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Reflection:
Why, we may wonder, was it so
important to list the genealogy of Jesus (beyond giving those who proclaim the
Gospel a serious pronunciation challenge)?
St. Matthew goes to great pains to
demonstrate that Jesus was a true Son of Abraham and Son of David. The title ” Son of David” was a title applied
prophetically to the Messiah and literally to Jesus. But why do we need to know that Amos was the
father of Josiah or that “Judah became the father
of Perez and Zerah”?
Certainly those who pursue
genealogy in their own lines appreciate the desire to know who and where they
came from. But is there a more important
reason to formally chronicle this information?
Jesus had no children and Joseph and Mary produced no other children
either, so the blood line from that branch of the root of Jesse ended
triumphantly on a cross at Calvary (using the Latin derivation for that hill,
meaning the skull – Golgotha from the Hebrew).
Did it not?
In asking that question we
may have found the reason for this list of generations (beyond the obvious
simple proof that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah by being of the
house of David). Jesus himself insured
that the blood line did not end. He
adopted! He adopted like no other person
in the history of humankind. He made his
Apostles his heirs, giving the keys to his Kingdom to St. Peter, leaving him in
charge of the earthly household until he returns.
Peter, in his turn, passed
those keys on to a successor and the adoption of Christ was extended to another
generation. Two hundred and sixty six
times (Pope Francis being the 266th) this passing of the keys has
taken place and the adoption of another generation is completed under that
authority. The generations of Christ
continue in us and it is our prayer that we may be worthy to accept the mantle
of being known as children of the Most High.
Pax
O Antiphon for this date:
O Wisdom, O holy Word of God,
you govern all
creation with your strong yet
tender care: Come
and show your people the way
to salvation.
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter,
suaviter disponensque omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter,
suaviter disponensque omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
[1]
The picture is “The Reconciliation of Jacob and Laban” by Ciro Ferri, 1650’s
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least
the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat
canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology
that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old
Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old
Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative
"Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)
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