Monday of the Third Week in Advent
One of the best things about the holidays is remembering what Christmas was like at home as a child. We were a large family and there was always great fun, big messes of paper and presents, going to Mass and visiting grandparents and a lot of good meals. Most of my memories are good ones but I also remember some very painful holidays. There was a close relative that always seemed to be in a crisis of his own making and his behavior inevitably impacted everyone. Year after year I watched my parents feeling afraid, sad and frustrated over the behavior of this beloved relative. As a child, I did not understand these things and I remember wishing he would be gone and not come back and hurt my parents and grandparents anymore. Now I realize how much they loved him. Now I can see that, despite the pain they endured, they never stopped trying and hoping and helping because that is what families do when they love someone.
Today’s Gospel reading relates Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:1-17). What is striking about this extensive list of people is that it's truly a mix of great sinners and great saints. There are kings and priests, murderers and adulterers, and harlots and heathens. When God sent Jesus, it wasn't in the context of superhuman lineage or a family of great privilege. The family of Jesus lived in the messiness and disorder of the real world, struggling and dealing with the human condition just like the rest of us. This fact allows us to realize in a deeper way that Jesus entered time and space and history to walk with us. When we truly see Jesus as fully human it can even lessen that 'distance' we perceive between Jesus and ourselves. Imagining Jesus celebrating feasts and holidays with family and friends, sharing meals, working, and playing with family and friends, it is easier to identify with him. After all, this is how most of our personal relationships begin—by identifying and sharing similar experiences, feelings, and interests. The other important side of this is that because Jesus truly “dwelt among us” he certainly experienced the hard things we do—the pain and disappointment and conflict that every friendship and family faces. It is during these times that the love of family is truly reveals its importance.
Even when our own lineage can only be traced back a few generations, we can probably identify significant human weakness in our ancestors and immediate families. But in our home and family, right here and now, is where the Messiah waits to be born through us and reside within us. It is right in this place where we can welcome Jesus, the Christ who entered our human condition in order to be truly present with us. And still now, he is with us.
Gail Lyman