(Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38) Two of the gospels, Matthew and Luke, provide genealogies of Jesus, showing us how God unfolds His plan over the course of human history. We commemorate all of these holy ancestors on Christmas Eve. The gospel according to Matthew starts with Abraham and focuses on the connection to Israel, God’s chosen people. The gospel according to Luke traces the lineage all the way back to Adam, ultimately ending with God the Creator, to stress the Divine Sonship of Jesus.
God loves to dignify humanity and allow us to be secondary causes in His plan. How do you allow Him to work through you in recovery?
“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church).
Reflection by Brad Farmer