Daily Readings for December 17, 2015

1ST READING

We do not choose God so much as he chooses us! The priorities and principles that we might have in place to choose leaders may not be the same that God has in his mind. When God chooses someone we will not necessarily be able to make sense of that choice. However, this should not stop us from respecting the leaders we have in our Church - they like us are all imperfect and so will not always do the right thing. One of the constant challenges in life is working with our own imperfect responses to God’s call and also the imperfect responses of others. Let us seek not to judge others but to simply do our best to respond to God’s call as we hear it each and every day. Lord Jesus, grant me a mind and heart to understand your call on my life - may I always do my best to follow where you lead.

Genesis 49:2, 8-10

2 Jacob called his sons and said to them: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. 8 “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise — your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. 9 Judah, like a lion’s whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts — who would dare rouse him? 10 The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the peoples’ homage.

P S A L M

Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 17

R: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.

1 O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son. 2 He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. (R) 3 The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice. 4 He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor. (R) 7 Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. 8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (R) 17 May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness. (R)

GOSPEL

Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham. This shows that Jesus is like Abraham, the father of all the living, only this refers to all men and women who place their faith in the truth of the Gospel. Our challenge is to study the character of Abraham and understand him from a Christian perspective.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge!

Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, 6 Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. 8 Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. 12 After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. 17 Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the  Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.

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