Monday of 3rd
Advent
St. Luke
Institute
December
17, 2012
GOD AND HUMAN
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Matthew and all the evangelists take great pains
to insure that their readers believe that Jesus was truly God and truly a human
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This is why John, on the one hand, would say, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word
was with God and the Word was God” and add immediately, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”
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Today Matthew weighs in with, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham”
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By his genealogy Matthew situates Jesus among
the families of humanity according to the flesh, while still remaining God
GENEAOLOGY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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This
reading, a challenge for any lector, mentions the patriarchs and many of the welcomed
and unpleasant characters of human history
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Matthew’s point? That Jesus participates in our
human generation and in our very nature
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Thus Matthew includes individuals who had
shocking carnal relations, for he writes “And
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar” or even plainer yet, “And David became the father of Solomon by
Uriah’s wife.”
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So we’ve got in Jesus’ lineage adulterers and
murders!
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By this means, the genealogy reveals that it is
our very sinful nature that Christ himself comes to heal in the root by being
born of it and sharing in it
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It is the very nature – our very nature – that
had fallen, revolted and plunged into inordinate desires
ASSURANCES ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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So the genealogy assures me that when my nature
flees God, Jesus takes hold of me
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When I dash out and run away from God in revolt,
Jesus stops me and holds me close
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When the last thing I may want in my life is
God, Jesus’ face in prayer or his words give me pause and enable me to return
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In all these ways I am blocked from the downward
spiral that can be my life
CHRISTMAS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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So what we prepare to celebrate in Christ’s
birth is a God who has entered fully into my life
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It is that reality that gives me hope to start
again today
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