The genealogy of Jesus, as we learn in Matthew 1:1-17, is complicated–full of unsavory sinners, of wise and foolish kings, of virtuous and unvirtuous women. Yet it was the lineage that God chose to deliver His Son to the world.
Our celebrant at today’s 5 a.m. Simbang Gabi Mass opened by asking us to turn to the person next to us and welcome him or her. Then, in his homily, Father Steve noted we are all adopted children of God, no matter how we came into the world. Families are grown, not made, he said; adoption is a beautiful thing.
When you come into a church, you find a whole lot of people. With some, you share an affinity for specific music or books because you’re of the same generation. Or perhaps it’s love of a particular food or the way you pronounce words because you grew up in the same area. Or maybe there’s a bond because your professions are similar. Or maybe you share a passion for a particular ministry. Then there are the folks with whom on the surface, you have nothing in common. You’re generations apart, and perhaps your income levels are separated by several zeros. And yet, it turns out you have the same parent in God, and you can both be the favorite child, because everyone is God’s favorite child. No competition for attention or the best gift at Christmas, because no one outgives God, and His presents are always mind-blowingly perfect.
Processing all this can take some time, understanding that in this crazy patchwork quilt of a family, all are welcomed and loved, from the wise king to the foolish, from the virtuous woman to the unvirtuous. With His love, we all summon up the faith and confidence and strength to be more like Him, in our hearts and souls and in the way we care for our adopted sisters and brothers.
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