Dear brothers and sisters, hello!
Today we begin the cycle of catechesis which will develop throughout the Jubilee Year. The theme is “Jesus Christ our hope”: it is He, in fact, who is the goal of our pilgrimage, and He Himself is the way, the path to follow.
The first part will deal with thechildhood of Jesuswhich is told to us by the evangelists Matthew and Luke (cf. Mt 1-2; Lk 1-2). THE Childhood Gospels recount the virgin conception of Jesus and his birth in Mary’s womb; they recall the messianic prophecies that were fulfilled in him and speak of the legal paternity of Joseph, who grafted the Son of God onto the “trunk” of the Davidic dynasty. Jesus is presented to us as a newborn, child and adolescent, submissive to his parents and, at the same time, conscious of being entirely devoted to the Father and his Kingdom. The difference between the two evangelists is that if Luke recounts the events through the eyes of Mary, Matthew does so through those of Joseph, emphasizing this unprecedented paternity.
Matthew opens his Gospel and the entire New Testament canon with the “genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham” (Matthew 1, 1). This is a list of names already present in the Hebrew Scriptures, to show the truth of history and the truth of human life. Indeed, “the genealogy of the Lord is made up of a true story, where we find names that are problematic to say the least and where we underline the sin of King David (cf. Mt 1:6). But everything ends and flourishes in Mary and in Christ (cf. Mt 1:16)” (Letter on the renewal of the study of Church historyNovember 21, 2024). Then appears the truth of human life which passes from one generation to the next delivering three things: a name which contains a unique identity and mission; belonging to a family and a people; and finally, adherence of faith to the God of Israel.
Genealogy is a literary genre, that is, an appropriate form to convey a very important message: no one gives his life, but receives it as a gift from others; in this case, it is a question of the chosen people, and those who inherit the deposit of faith from their fathers, by transmitting life to their children, also transmit to them faith in God.
But unlike the genealogies of the Old Testament, where only male names appear, because in Israel it is the father who imposes the name on his son, in Matthew’s list, among the ancestors of Jesus, women appear Also. We find five: Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law who, left a widow, pretends to be a prostitute to ensure descendants for her husband (cf. Gen 38); Racab, the prostitute of Jericho who allows Jewish explorers to enter the promised land and conquer it (cf. Josh 2); Ruth, the Moabite who, in the homonymous book, remains faithful to her mother-in-law, takes care of her and will become the great-grandmother of King David; Bathsheba, with whom David commits adultery and who, after having her husband killed, fathers Solomon (cf. 2 Sam 11); and finally Mary of Nazareth, wife of Joseph, of the house of David: from her was born the Messiah, Jesus.
The first four women are united not by the fact that they are sinners, as is sometimes said, but by the fact that they are foreign to the people of Israel. What Matthew highlights is that, as Benedict xvi wrote, “through them…the world of people enters the genealogy of Jesus – his mission to Jews and pagans becomes visible” (The childhood of JesusMilan-Vatican 2012, 15).
While the four previous women are mentioned alongside the man who was born from them or the one who fathered him, Mary, on the other hand, acquires a particular importance: she marks a new beginning, it is itself a new beginning, because in its history it is no longer the human creature who is the protagonist of the generation, but God himself. This is clearly evident from the verb “born”: “Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom was generated Jesus, who is called Christ” (Mt 1:16). Jesus is son of David, grafted by Joseph into this dynasty and destined to be the Messiah of Israelbut he is also the son of Abraham and foreign women, therefore destined to be the “Light of the nations» (cf. Lk 2:32) and the “Savior of the world» (Jn 4, 42).
The Son of God, consecrated to the Father with the mission of revealing his face (cf. Jn 1:18; Jn 14:9), enters the world like all the sons of man, so much so that in Nazareth he will be called “son of Joseph” (Jn 6:42) or “son of the carpenter” (Mt 13:55). True God and true man.
Brothers and sisters, let us awaken in ourselves the grateful memory of our ancestors. And above all, let us give thanks to God who, through our Mother Church, has generated us to eternal life, the life of Jesus, our hope.
The Holy Father then launched a call for peace:
And now, dear brothers and sisters, let us pray for peace. Let us not forget the people who suffer because of the war: Palestine, Israel, and all those who suffer, Ukraine, Burma… Let us not forget to pray for peace, for the wars to end . Let us ask the Prince of Peace, the Lord, to give us this grace: peace, peace in the world. War, let us not forget, is always a defeat, always! War is always a defeat.
Among the pilgrims attending the General Audience were the following French-speaking groups:
From France: group of the pilgrimage of the relics of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus in Rome; Saint-Joseph High School, Dijon; La Tour Institute, Paris; Saint Martin de Palaiseau Institution, Paris; Les Francs Bourgeois schools – La Salle, Paris.
I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims, in particular the students of the different schools of Paris and Dijon, but also the faithful who accompany the relics of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
I express my concern for all the inhabitants of the Mayotte archipelago devastated by a cyclone and I assure them of my prayers. May God grant rest to those who have lost their lives, necessary relief to all those in need, and comfort to the afflicted families.
The recent trip to Corsica where I was received so warmly, particularly touched me by its popular fervor where faith is not a private fact but also by the number of children present: a great joy and a great hope!
God bless you all!
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