DAILY- HOMILY

December 17, 2015 THURSDAY, 3rd Week of Advent        

[Misa de Gallo - White, with Gloria]  

Violet 

Gn 49:2. 8 – 10 / Mt 1:1-17

Reading: Gn 49:2. 8 – 10

     "Gather round, sons of Jacob. And listen to your father Israel! Judah, your brothers will praise you! You shall seize your enemies by the neck! Your father's sons shall bow before you.

     Judah, a young lion! You return from the prey, my son! Like a lion he stoops and crouches, and like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

     The scepter shall not be taken from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and who has the obedience of the nations.

Gospel: Mt 1:1 – 17

     This is the document of the origins of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. 

     Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the king.

     David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah's wife. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings: Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 

     After the deportation to Babylon Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ – the Messiah. 

     There were then fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ.

Reflection:

     The Gospel reading gives the genealogy of Jesus starting from Abraham up to Joseph, his foster-father. We know that the Son of God was made incarnate by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. With Mary as his mother the Word who "was in the beginning with God" and who "was God" (Jn 1:1, 2) was "made flesh" (Jn 1:13) and was truly human.

Matthew's long genealogy over forty-two generations from Abraham to Joseph, his foster-father, was meant to stress his humanity and ancestry from Abraham, the father of God's people, through the royal lineage of King David: "Though being divine in nature, he did not claim in fact equality with God, but emptied himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and in his appearance found as a man." (Phil 2: 6 -7)

     We pray in faith and hope, "God, Creator and Redeemer of human nature, who willed that your Word should take flesh in an ever-virgin womb, look with favor on our prayers, that your Only-begotten Son, having taken to himself our humanity, may be pleased to grant us a share in his divinity."  (Collect, 17 December Mass)

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     FELIXON DEAN A. SAW

THANKSGIVING

     HENRY LIM UY

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     ERNIE & PUNY DY

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     WELLINGTON C. CHAN

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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