Third Tuesday of Advent

Gospel: Mt 1:1-17

The Gospel of December 17th begins “This is the family history, the genealogy of Jesus the Anointed, the coming King...” and ends with the simple statement “Jacob was the father of Joseph, who married a woman named Mary. It was Mary who gave birth to Jesus...” (translation found in The Voice Bible). The sacred Word in this Advent season reminds us that the Christmas story toward which we move is a human story, a very human story.

The characters of this narrative are people whose lives are marked by joy and sorrow, belonging and rejection, justice and injustice. Abraham left his native land to build a life elsewhere for himself and his descendants. Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, protected Israelite spies from those who wished to kill them. Tamar used deceit and seduction to preserve her family. David, the king, took another man’s wife for himself. These ae a people who knew exile to Babylon and a return to Jerusalem; these are a people who knew occupation and marginalization, triumph and power. These are our people. This is our family of faith.

Why, then, should we be surprised that our Church needs reform, that governments and communities continue unjust policies, that our hearts seek redemption, and that our choices often mar the possibility? Advent offers an opportunity to focus, again, on the potential for good that lies in each person; calls us, as a community of believers and persons of faith, to renew again our belief in the journey of all creation toward fullness – to renew our belief that all creation “is waiting, yearning for the time when the children of God will be revealed.” (Romans 8: 19, The Voice Bible).

We are the revelation creation awaits. Our choices, as a community and as individuals, either move toward the fullness or detract from it. We are not perfect. We are not consistent. We are often our own worst enemies. Yet, we believe. We try. We seek forgiveness and start again. We heal our wounds and start again. That is our family history, the genealogy of Jesus who is our brother. The Talmud, an ancient resource of our ancestors in faith, says its best: “You [we] are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you [we] free to abandon it.”** All creation awaits.

**An internet search identified this quotation as “a loose translation of commentary on a portion of the Pirke Avot. Pirkei Avot is a Jewish text that is part of the Mishnah, the first text of the Jewish oral law.”

Helen Marie Burns, RSM, has served her religious community, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, in elected leadership both on the congregational and provincial levels.