Of Family Trees and God's Plan

Years ago I begin to read the daily Mass readings. I was always perplexed as to why it was important to know about the lineage of Jesus.  I would casually skip through the first chapter of Matthew in a matter of seconds, not finding much to draw my attention. "Why do we have to read this?" I grumbled as I leaved past the page. I found the readings at Mass much the same as the lector would stroll through centuries of people of whom I found no importance. Yes I know that Jesus' father was Joseph and Joseph descended from the house of David and that it all started with Abraham, but why does anyone need to know about the rest?

I am quite sure that many of you have knowledge of your own family tree and may have invested considerable time and sometimes money to genealogical sites such as Ancestry.com or others with similar services. I take particular interest in my own family as well even though the tree seems to be fairly brief coming from a family of immigrants that came to the United States from Germany and Italy due to a lack of information. My wife's family tree originates from Spain, Mexico and Japan which makes my own children quite a mix of ethnic backgrounds. I find this interesting and when there is time I endeavor to pursue the task of building on both families trees.

This brings me back to Jesus's family tree. It wasn't until this very day that it dawned on me (literally as I reflected early this morning), the lineage of our Savior is just as important if not more than my own. Jesus is not just a name on paper and without the God's plan being carried out by the names of people such as Amminadab, Shealiel, Joram, and others whose names I find difficulty pronouncing, I would not be here.

Reflective reading of this passage reveals a lineage that is full of people who had difficulties, some of whom we can classify as deviants and others as saints. Moreover, Matthew is able to detail centuries of a family heritage which is quite extraordinary in itself since many of our own family trees come to a grinding halt after three to four generations. The point being that God does have a plan which in itself is not for us to see in full, but realizing that this one family whose bloodlines have brought our Savior into the world, whose Catholic heritage we owe to, and of words we can humbly reflect on brings a more attentive attitude to the many names mentioned. Just as I take pride in my own family background as well as I revel in the stories of my families past, so should I do so with the One who made this all possible.