HE STOOPED DOWN…

Genesis 49:2,8-10
2 Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father.8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Matthew 1:1-17

1 THE book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa,8 and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of She-alti-el, and She-alti-el the father of Zerubbabel,
13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,
15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING is a prophecy that foretell the unification of the sons of Israel–implying the future generational sons–shall be at peace with one another. God shall Lord over His subjects and bring justice to all who obey His commands. 

THE GOSPEL READING: We believers who have become devout followers of Christ, accept His divinity as a matter of fact. Moreover we kind of ‘take it for granted’ He is the Son of God who came down to us, whereas at the time when Christ was born, the Hebrew people were divided and sceptical about the authenticy and claims of Jesus, inspite of the supernatural miracle works He performed.

The disciples and apostles of Christ found it nessesary to record the genealogy of the sons of Isreal beginning with Abraham, to answer the contemporaries of Jesus who rejected or questioned His teaching that He was indeed the Son of David. We are indepted to the apostolic Father’s who by divine revelation aided by Tradition and the Holy Spirit, decided and handed on the content of the canon so we may belief in Him and follow Him. Since Christ has stooped down to us, we must similarly continue the apostolic tradition to stoop down; hand on the faith, pray and aid those who hunger, seek justice, righteousness and neighbourly peace by living the Gospel message without fear or favor. 

LET US PRAY:Psalms 72:1-4,7-8,17

1 A Psalm of Solomon.
Give the king thy justice, O God, and thy righteousness to the royal son!2 May he judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with justice!3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor!
7 In his days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!17 May his name endure for ever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May men bless themselves by him, all nations call him blessed!

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.