Sep 8 2020 Reflection

Tuesday 8 September 2020

First Reading: MI 5:1-4A
Responsorial Psalm:
With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
PS 13:6AB, 6C
Gospel Reading: MT 1:18-23

Today’s Note: Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Gospel Reading:

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Reflection:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said. (Matthew 1:22)

If there’s one thing the genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel shows us, it’s how much care God took in bringing his plan of salvation to fruition! Just look at how many events had to converge before Jesus could come into the world. Or think about how many characters had to play out their parts in order to prepare God’s people for the fulfillment of his promises.

Praying about Jesus’ genealogy can give us a bigger picture of God’s work. And that’s important, because the broader our grasp of God’s goodness and his wisdom, the easier it will be to trust the Lord with our lives.

Think, for instance, about how many things came together before your own birth. Your ancestors paved the way with their lives. There were formative events in the world that affected your family. God’s intervention shaped your family tree until that moment in history when you were born. You aren’t an accident of genetics. You didn’t just show up randomly without a history or without a future. No, God has a plan for your life—a plan centuries and centuries in the making.

It’s likely that the ancestors of Jesus didn’t have a clear sense that they would be immortalized in Scripture. Surely Mary didn’t fully grasp her significance as she was growing up in Nazareth. It unfolded over time, and she was able to embrace it as she sought the Lord and his wisdom. It’s the same for us. We may not know the part we are meant to play in God’s plan, and we certainly will never know just how many people we will influence in our lifetime. But we can still choose to follow the Lord and watch as his plan unfolds for us.

You probably don’t see it fully now, but your life is woven into the tapestry of God’s perfect plan for the world. So don’t get caught up in minor squabbles. Don’t let small concerns become sources of deep anxiety. Instead, take a broader look at your life and know that your God has great things planned for you.

“Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of your plan! I trust in your wisdom and in the way you are forming me.”