💖 HOMILY - DECEMBER 17 💖

First Reading - Genesis 49:2,8-10 

Gospel - Matthew 1:1-17

As we draw closer to the mystery of God’s saving plan, today’s readings invite us to look back in order to understand what God is doing now. They remind us that God works patiently through history, through families, through promises made long ago and fulfilled in ways far greater than anyone could have imagined. The theme that unites these readings is God’s faithfulness across generations and His power to bring salvation through ordinary and even broken human lives.

In the first reading from Genesis, Jacob gathers his sons and speaks a blessing over Judah. Judah is promised leadership, strength, and kingship: the sceptre shall not depart from him. This blessing is not merely about one tribe’s future power; it points forward to a lasting promise, a ruler who will come and bring obedience and peace. Even here, at the very beginning of Israel’s story, God is shaping a future that stretches far beyond the moment, a future centred on a king chosen by Him.

The Gospel reading presents the genealogy of Jesus. At first glance, it may seem like a list of names, but it is in fact a proclamation of faith. Matthew carefully traces Jesus’ lineage from Abraham through David to Joseph, showing that Jesus is the fulfilment of the ancient promises. He is the long-awaited son of Judah, the heir of David, the one to whom the sceptre truly belongs.

What is striking about this genealogy is not only who is included, but how imperfect many of these people were. There are kings who failed, sinners who fell, and unexpected women with complicated stories. Yet God does not erase their past. He works through it. This tells us something profound about God’s way of acting: salvation does not come through flawless families or perfect histories, but through grace patiently at work in human weakness.

For us today, this is deeply reassuring. We may look at our own family histories, personal failures, or broken situations and feel unworthy or disqualified. But the genealogy of Jesus tells us otherwise. God enters real human history, with all its messiness, and transforms it from within. Nothing in our past is wasted when placed in God’s hands.

Dear friends, the readings invite us to trust in God’s faithfulness. The promise given to Judah was not fulfilled quickly or easily, but it was fulfilled completely in Christ. In the same way, God’s promises in our lives may take time, may pass through struggles and setbacks, but they will not fail.

Today, we are called to renew our hope. God is still writing His story through us. Our lives, like those names in the Gospel, may seem ordinary or flawed, but in Christ they become part of something eternal. If we remain faithful and open to Him, God will use even our weaknesses to bring about His saving work.

Let us give thanks for a God who keeps His promises, who works through generations, and who enters our human story to lead us into His Kingdom of peace and hope.