Sunday, December 29, 2024

Colossians 3:4-11
Luke 14:16-24
Week of Holy Forefathers

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory forever. Today as we prepare for the coming of God in the flesh, the Church remembers the holy ancestors of Christ—the forefathers of God. We remember them both in this Sunday and the next when we read the great genealogy in the beginning of St. Matthew’s Gospel. So happy name’s day to all those named Adam, Eve, Abraham, Jesse, David, Zerubabel, Selathiel, Haggai (especially remembered for his prophecy about the Word without Beginning coming to a newly restored second Temple), and of course, Joseph and Mary, the Mother of God. Who all gets counted as a forefather or ancestor of God? We usually use this latter designation for the parents of Mary, Joachim and Anna. However, it is used in the Church’s commemoration of many different types of saints: high priests like my own saint Aaron, patriarchs, prophets, kings, judges, etc. This is the week we remember Christ’s spiritual progeny, as not all of these are related to him by blood but are nevertheless tied to him by adoption and covenant. Next Sunday we will focus more specifically on his physical lineage when we read the genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel. What then does it really mean to be or become part of God’s family? How do we revel in the incredible gift that we are alive and the chain of events that led us to this moment in time had very much to do with many fathers and mothers before us making the choice to love one another?