Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
GN 49: 2, 8-10
PS 72: 1-2, 3-4AB, 7-8, 17
MT 1: 1-17
I come from a large family. As anyone with siblings may understand, I sometimes feel as though I bicker with them more than I stop to appreciate them. Yet something that I am reminded of every Advent season is how beautiful the concept of a “family” is. There exists a group of people that will accept all of your faults and mistakes and love you for them. And even greater, that group isn’t limited to those within your gene pool. Friends fulfill that familial role for those whose families may not. Advent always brings me back to the realization that family is something special to be cherished. Celebrating Mary’s decision and anticipating the beginning of the Holy Family has that effect.
The best part about true families is that they are with you for all time. As we see in the Gospel today, Jesus had fourteen generations of history that remain with him forever. Not only is he the son of God, but he is the descendent of Abraham and David. That, and the twelve other generations, influence his life, whether he realizes or not. I am so happy to be able to appreciate the simple fact that I have a support system that helps to pick me up when the world beats me down and will keep me grounded in times of success.
Advent calls each and every one of us to take a look at those in our lives who make life better. I don’t know if I would suggest making a fourteen generation genealogy like Matthew did for Jesus. But I do call everyone reading this to stop their busy lives and focus on the best thing of Christmas season: the relationships. There are so many distractions: finals week that just finished, traveling, work, commercialization, etc. But take time to stop and tell someone in your life that you love them, because there’s one thing this world cannot have enough of: love (Christmas cookies took a close second). Thank you all for reading and enjoy your Christmas breaks.
Paul Otto is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, an avid reader, self professed nerd, aspiring biologist, and dedicated couch theologian.
Every day during Advent, students, faculty, and staff from across the SLU community will share reflections on the intersection of the Scriptures of the day, the liturgical season of Advent, and their own lives.
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