Gospels in a Year - Day 1, 2

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Day 1 -The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Today's Reading: Matthew 1:1-17 RSV-CE

Today's Commentary: Matthew 1:2-17

The Abrahamic and Davidic ancestry of Jesus establishes his credentials to be the royal Messiah of Israel (1:1, 16). God long ago promised that "kings" would stem from Abraham's line (Gen 17:6) and later swore a covenant oath that David would always have a dynastic heir (2 Sam 7:16; Ps 89:3-4).


Note that Matthew's genealogy reaches back to Abraham, the forefather of Israel, whereas Luke's genealogy of Jesus stretches back to Adam, the father of all nations (Lk 3:23-38). This difference is heightened by numerous discrepancies between the two genealogies, especially in the generations spanning from David to Jesus. More than a dozen solutions have been proposed to harmonize them. At the very least, it should be recognized that gaps are a common feature in genealogical registries from antiquity. There are also many examples in Scripture of one person having more than one name - a fact that must be considered when attempting to identify the ancestors of Jesus (e.g., Solomon/Jedidiah, 2 Sam 12:24-25).

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Day 2 - The Birth of Jesus Christ

Today's Reading: Matthew 1:18-25 RSV-CE

Today's Commentary

Behold, a virgin: The first of several "formula-quotations" in Matthew (2:6, 15, 18, 23). Here the citation is from Is 7:14 of the Greek OT. Matthew interprets it with reference to Mary (virgin) and Jesus (son). Isaiah 7:14 initially prophesied the birth of King Hezekiah, who rescued Israel from many evils (2 Kings 18:1-6). Matthew sees a deeper level of fulfillment here, where the absence of a human father in the prophecy points to the virginal conception of the Messiah (CCC 497). The name God with us is most perfectly fulfilled in Jesus' Incarnation, where his ongoing presence in the world is both ecclesial (18:20; 28:20) and eucharistic (26:26). (Download the FREE Catholic Study Bible App for full commentary and notes)

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by Fr. Larry Richards.

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