Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’ve all heard the Christmas story before. Many of us can also remember participating in a Christmas pageant as children. 

Maybe you were Mary, rocking the child Jesus in your arms. Maybe you were an angel rejoicing in heaven. Or maybe you were Joseph, the character sometimes forgotten in the Christmas story. 

While the stage light is often shining upon the archangel Gabriel, Mary, and Christ conceived in her womb, the story could not have moved forward without Joseph – and it’s his experience that most of us can relate to today.

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Joseph’s role in the Christmas story has deep historical roots. More than 700 years before, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that a king would arise in Israel’s midst, that all nations would come to worship him, and that this king would usher in a reign of peace.

It seemed impossible at the time.

Israel had been divided; their nation was beginning to crumble. Life looked terribly bleak. Still, Isaiah foresaw a period of renewal and the coming of a king, who would descend from the line of David.

Fast forward 700 years. In today’s Gospel, we find Saint Joseph – heartbroken and asleep. Somehow, Mary, his bride-to-be, has conceived a child and Joseph knows it is not his. His dreams are shattered; every very fiber of his being is rattled.

Although he could have Mary stoned to death according to the Law, Joseph decides to divorce her quietly, because he’s a kind and gentle man. Suddenly, an angel appears to him in a dream, convincing him that Mary has done nothing wrong; quite the opposite.

God has acted in her life. And now God intends on acting in Joseph’s. But if God is to do anything good for him, then Joseph must accept this divine mess and claim it as his own. He must take Mary and this child that isn’t his into his home.

Mary needs Joseph’s lineage to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy that this king would descend from the line of David. So, when he awakens, Joseph does as he is told. And he never says a word.

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What might his story say to us today? 

First, God is present in messy situations.

Second, his plans are often not our own.

And third, saying “yes” to God leads to new possibilities, which we never could’ve imagined for ourselves.

This Christmas, may we open our hearts to God’s grace, which comes into our often messy lives, for he comes to bring us peace and new possibilities.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus, Guido Reni (2) The Dream of Saint Joseph, Philippe de Champaigne (3) Milena Ciciotti, YouTube

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Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Over the last number of years, many have used DNA test kits – like 23andMe – to learn more about their ancestry. Such advanced science didn’t exist at the time of Christ. Rather, people traced their history orally.

In today’s Gospel, Matthew traces the lineage of Jesus Christ all the way back to Abraham, who lived thousands of years before him in order to teach us several important lessons.

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First, God acts in history. 

Jesus did not strut onto the world stage as an unimpressive newcomer; his birth was the fruit of long-awaited anticipation – for at least 42 generations, dating back to Abraham.

And through his Spirit, God continues acting in our world, even in our own lives today.

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Secondly, God is a God of inclusion.

Five of the people named in the genealogy of Jesus are women. All of them, with the exception of Mary, are Gentiles, not Jews.

Thus, from the beginning, God’s plan of salvation included men and women, Jews and Gentiles. The Lord still relies upon people of every race and tongue to accomplish his will today.

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Finally, God works through ordinary, even sinful, people. 

Several of those listed in Christ’s genealogy were sketchy characters – from con artists to prostitutes. They remind us that we do not need to be perfect in order to be instruments of grace.

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So, what might the history of Christ’s family tree mean for us?

Just as God relied upon a vast array of characters to prepare the way for his first coming, so he can use any one of us to prepare the way for his second.

In the words of John the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths.”

May we be agents of God’s peace today.

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Image credits: (1) Campus Ministry at the University of Saint Mary (2) Dreamstime.com (3) One Family Under God, WordPress

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Gospel: Matthew 21: 28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion? 
A man had two sons. 
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 
The man came to the other son and gave the same order. 
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 
Which of the two did his father’s will?” 
They answered, “The first.” 
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you. 
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did. 
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When the English author G.K. Chesterton was asked, “What’s wrong with the world?” 

He replied, “Sir, I am.”

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Most of us would answer differently.

What’s wrong with the world?

Terrorism. Look no further than Bondi Beach.

Corruption. Racism. Politics. Wildfires. The flu.

Anything – and anyone – but me.

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Why would Chesterton, a devout Christian, say he’s part of the what’s wrong with the world?

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Because he identified with the first of two sons in today’s Gospel, who said “no” to doing his father’s will, refusing to work in his vineyard, but later repented and changed his ways. 

That’s the essence of the Christian journey: not claiming perfection, but acknowledging we are a work in progress. At times, we may ignore our conscience, succumb to temptation, or give into the whims of our ego and flesh. 

But Christians learn from their mistakes, repent of any wrongdoing, amend their ways, and get to work.

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So, what’s wrong with the world?

At times, I am.

Perhaps we all are.

May God give us the grace to grow, forgive, and live as our better selves today.

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Image credits: (1) God & Life & Stuff (2) Anecdote (3) Reddit