07
Sep
Sep
Reflection: Matthew 1: 1-16; 18-23
Today the universal Church honours the Blessed Virgin Mary as we joyfully celebrate her nativity. The Church celebrates the story of God accompanying us, the humanity, the crown of his creation and chooses one of us to be the Mother of God the Son. Today’s gospel passage regarding Jesus’ lineage looks so insignificant: This person begot that person, that one begot this one, this one begot that one…. It’s a list. Yet, it speaks of the story of God’s journey among his people. In this journey, God walks with both good and bad people, and therefore, on this list there are saints and there are sinful criminals. Along with the names of male ancestors listed, Matthew mentioned four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. All four women were foreigners. One of them gets pregnant from her father-in-law; another one was a prostitute and a third became king’s wife after the king getting her husband killed in a war. Among the male ancestors, there were murderers and cheaters. And that is the significance of this passage. This list of God’s plan of salvation is not limited to holy and saintly people; God’s list also contains names of sinful and unholy ones. However, that does not stop God from walking with his people. During his journey with his people, God fills them with hope. This is the closeness of God. Moses spoke about it to his people: “Think about it: what nation has a God as close as ours?”. The people of Israel dream of being set free, because it was promised to them. And the dream continues with Joseph and his dream is a summary of the entire history of God’s journey with his people. But going through the genealogy of Jesus, we begin to realise that not only the people of Israel or Joseph had dreams but even God dreams. God our Father has dreams, and he dreams beautiful things for his people, for each of us, because he is our Father and as a Father he thinks and dreams of the best for his children. In spite of all the failures and infidelities of the people, God holds them all together and draws out a plan for their salvation – a salvation from their sinfulness. During his public ministry, we would find the public sinners, the tax collectors, the despised and rejected of the society becoming close friends of Jesus. The nativity of Our Mother is an occasion of great Joy and Hope – because this feast day reminds us that we are all included in the divine plan of God. And God wants us to respond to his plan, to His dream and to participate in His mission of reconciliation and salvation of the world.