Thursday of the Third Week of Advent - Today's Readings
A few Christmases ago, my family and I signed up for one of those ancestry kits. We spit in tubes, sent it back and anxiously awaited the results. I'm fortunate enough to know a lot about about my biological family, but it was still exciting to see where I came from and how I was related to others. We even discovered a new relative we didn't know about!
That's what today's Gospel is about; it's Jesus' ancestry DNA. Obviously, Jesus didn't spit in a cup and have it analyzed, though that would be fascinating! But, we can see parts of Jesus' family tree and lineage of faith He was born into.
When we look at our family trees, many people are fascinated to find all the similarities, whether biological or not. For instance, the majority of my family has worked in social service careers, whether as teachers, nurses, or civil service. Jesus' ancestry shows a pattern of strong believers who handed down the faith. If your biological family didn't pass down your faith, where did you get it from?
My biological family appeared pretty faithful, but through a variety of Christian traditions. Catholicism snuck in through my grandfather, but there have been others who have greatly influenced how I practice. Who are the ancestors of your faith?