December 25, 2024
Vigil of Christmas
Matthew 1: 1-25
VIGIL
Vigils are times of waiting, usually of waiting in hope
for why would we wait
If we did not expect something to happen.?
As those called to have ‘hearts as wide as the world’ we join with all those who long for peace .
Welcome to the Vigil of the Nativity of our God
who fleshed God’s very self into our humanity,
experiencing our fragility and overcoming death.
This Vigil
is an invitation to hope against hope
that wherever we are,-
across five continents,
with all women and men of Good will,
that our God
will come, will reassure us,
will transform our lives, and through us, our world.
We thank God for the unexpectedness
‘With hearts as wide as the world’
. we VIGIL with one another
as Sisters hoping and believing in the Goodness of our God, and of one another.
And we hope in faith
that the grace of our Good God will be incarnated in our hearts
as we keep VIGIL
with all those in our broken and fractured world.
with all those
who wait in hope – for peace in the midst of war,
for health in times of war and disease .
These readings present us with the genealogy, the ancestry of Jesus,
It has become fashionable to search for our roots, our ancestors …and sometimes in that search to uncover unexpected truths that may be upsetting
In this genealogy – three women of ‘ill repute’ are included.
Their inclusion is remarkable and incorporates all of human reality.
Matthew 1: 1-25
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.
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.
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 conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Meet Sister Mary McClure, SNDdeN
