One of the most difficult Gospel selections to read or listen to is that of the genealogy of Jesus which is found in the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Despite its difficulty this is an important Gospel for us to understand. It is even the Gospel which is selected to be read at the Christmas Vigil Mass. The geology of Jesus proclaims to us the lineage of Jesus Christ. From its start we hear: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David.” We later hear: “Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon.” We finally hear: “Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.”
Here we are reminded that Jesus is connected to the line of David. As we heard from the Prophet Isaiah: “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”
One traditional practice for many during the Advent season is the Jesse Tree. It is the Jesse Tree which takes figures of the Old as well as New Testament and leads towards the coming of the Messiah. The Jesse Tree helps children as well as parents that they may come to know these important figures who build up to the coming of Christ. As we see from the genealogy of Jesus as well as the Book of Isaiah this begins with the figure of Jesse who is the father of David and leads to the Christ.
In the doorway of the rectory in Oak Ridge stands a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is very striking. If you would look closely you would see that connected to her lip was a root. This added root to her face was symbolic of this root that we heard from in the Book of Isaiah and comes to represent this geneology of the Lord.
This root is symbolic of the coming of the Lord. The Lord will not simply appear in any way, but will come through the royal lineage of King David. The word Advent comes from the Latin word, Adventus, which means in English, coming or arrival. I hope that we can see the great gift that we now prepare to receive into our life. We not prepare only for our Lord’s coming at Christmas, but we also prepare for His second coming at the end of time. As Saint John the Baptist proclaimed in our Gospel: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”
This is precisely what we must do in the midst of this sacred season. We must come to realize the great gift for which we now long. A root becomes symbolic of something which is living. We do not want to be cut off from the root for we will be found dead. Let us now look at the roots of our faith and pray upon what may be doing them harm. Where they have been effected by the reality of sin may we see the need to go to the Sacrament of Confession.
With that we will have our Advent Penance Service on Tuesday where a total of 9 priests will be present. Let us not be filled with pride, but instead radiate towards humility through the confession of our sins. If it has been a long time since you have frequented the Sacrament of Confession despair not, but instust yourself to the infinite mercy of God.
