Gospel: Matthew 1: 1-17
Earlier in Advent we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception where the emphasis was placed on a sinless point of origin for Jesus to be incarnate in the world. Today's Gospel reading, however, presents the exact opposite idea. The entire family lineage of Jesus is one of sin. Even the great patriarchs Abraham and David have sins which cry to heaven for restitution. Jesus was born into a family, a tradition, and a world utterly in sin.
It is from within this world that Jesus will redeem and transform it into something glorious. The entire tradition of Israel - the cycle of violence and vengeance - will end at Jesus' coming. This family full of sin will be transformed into a new family now capable of living a full life of holiness because the Old Law will be changed into the law of love and Jesus himself will provide an example of how to life this life of love and mercy.
The promise of Christmas is the promise of a new world, a new hope of living differently. We are not to look to the Old Law for examples and heroes. To emulate the imperfect is to wind up with an imperfect outcome again and again. But in the Lord Jesus we have a perfect model to follow, a perfect law of love as our guide. Following this new path will lead to different outcomes for ourselves and our world.
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