December 17 Homily

Friday of the Third Week of Advent  |  Second Day of Misa de Aguinaldo 
December 17, 2021

Readings (click here to read full text)
    Reading I: Gn 49:2, 8-10
    Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17
    Gospel: Mt 1:1-17

It is a common belief that the sins of our ancestors affect us today, and in like manner, the sins we commit today will affect future generations. In the Second Book of Samuel (chapter 12 verse 14), the son of King David died because of David’s adultery with Bathsheba, even after he was forgiven. His son was punished because of his sins in the past. This is true not only during Biblical times. Remember that the sin of Adam and Eve affects all of us today. It will even continue to affect the future. However, Deuteronomy 7:9 gives us a truly good news that for those who love and serve the Lord, his love extends even to thousands of generations. 

In our Gospel, we heard in the genealogy of Jesus the names of King David as mentioned above and Rahab, who was a prostitute, to mention these two. Yet their sins did not affect Jesus. It is, instead, the other way around. It is Jesus, Son of David, who affect the past, present, and future generations taking their sins away and its effects. This is, in reality, a deep healing of humanity's family tree.  Jesus did this to His own family tree, and it is what He is doing for all of us today.

If we believe that the unfortunate events and situations of our lives are due to the sins of the past generations, then we can do something today for them and for the future. It is by becoming a member of Jesus' family, by loving and serving Him that our ancestors in the past, our family in the present, and successors in the future are deeply healed from the inter-generational ill effects of sins.

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

Image credit: pixabay.com