An Old Table, Jesus' Ancestors, You and Me

The old wooden table belonged to my grandparents.

My grandfather was a musician, and one week before Christmas he came home with his guitar filled with tamales and crumbled dollar bills. It was just enough to buy a nice table for Christmas dinner. Over the years the wood warped and rippled. But we kept it. We admired the scratches and dents. They were reminders of meals shared, tears shed, fists that pounded on the table in both laughter and frustration.

This old worn table was a wobbly token of family life. Life that is full of messiness and miracles. Brokenness and healing. Rejoice and sorrow. Life that is full of imperfect people, some of whom are easy to love and some of whom are hard to love.

Today’s Gospel, Matthew 1:1-17, is the genealogy of Jesus Christ. I will admit I have skipped through it many times. It is the least marked-up passage in my Bible or maybe any Bible for that matter.

However, one day while I was sitting at that old wooden table, I realized the beauty of this Gospel. When I took the time to read through each name, I was reminded that Christ came from a long line of saints and sinners. A family with people who were holy, wise, and courageous. A family with people who were adulterers, murderers, prostitutes, and drunkards.

Our beloved Savior came to us through a lineage of people just like us. Sister, when we are weary with the trials in our family life, with our family of origin, or simply the people whom God has placed before us to love, we can rest in this Gospel. This Gospel reminds us of the depth of God’s love for us. It reminds us that He is Emmanuel. It reminds us that redemption is real.

This Gospel reminds us of the depth of God’s love for us. // Leana BowlerClick to tweet

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Read more about Jesus' genealogy in the Catholic Encyclopedia.