Above: the Nativity, from Westminster Cathedral, London. Photo by Father Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Today’s Gospel from
Matthew 1:1-17 traces the genealogy of Jesus Christ back forty-two generations. Simply listening to the reading of this lineage may not always be the most interesting experience. However, the meaning of this historical presentation has special importance for Aquinas College whose mission is
distinctly Dominican and among those we encounter every day. It is from this lineage that we see the incredible masterpiece of God’s design and unity for all humanity that leads us from Abraham to the moment of the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world.
This Gospel is not simply the presentation of an historical record. It establishes the scriptural and theological foundation for the work of evangelization that was begun with Abraham and continues with us. This work belongs to each of us as Dominican formators of the human person in our ministry of education at Aquinas College, those who have been educated at Aquinas and all those we serve as a result of Aquinas College:
to catch the fire of the New Evangelization and take the Face of Jesus to the lives of the next generations in our world.
Like St. Dominic we are called to take the teaching of the Church from the generations before us and then encounter the world, listen to one another, pray with one another and to assure others that Jesus loves them deeply and for all time, especially the lost, the last, and the least in our world. With the assurance that God’s design for all humanity and unity with Him includes each of us, the forty-two generations outlined in Matthew’s Gospel, and the generations of the future, we are called and gifted to go forward with faith, hope and with the fire of the New Evangelization, to preach and proclaim that God has created us, loves us, and has called each of us by name to do His work. Let our prayer before the Holy Family of Nazareth this Christmas give us the courage as the Aquinas Family of Nashville to continue to be prophetic witnesses of the message of healing, peace and human dignity among all persons of good will. Amen!
St. Dominic, evangelical man, pray for us!
