👴 Saint Joachim, husband of Saint Anne and father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is revered as a just and God-fearing patriarch. Although not mentioned in the canonical Scriptures, tradition, especially from the Protoevangelium of James, describes him as a wealthy and pious man from the lineage of David. He and his wife suffered for a long time from barrenness, considered a disgrace at the time, but they persevered in prayer and charity, trusting in divine providence. Their faith was rewarded with the miraculous birth of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, making Joachim a fundamental link in the history of salvation as the grandfather of Jesus Christ, which establishes him as a model of patience, faith, and family devotion.
🙏 Introit (Ps 111:9 | ibid., 1)He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory. Ps. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments. ℣. Glory be to the Father…
📜 Epistle (Ecclus 31:8-11)
Blessed is the man that is found without blemish: and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in his life. Who hath been tried and made perfect, he shall have eternal glory. He that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: Therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare his alms.
📖 Gospel (Mt 1:1-16)
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa. And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias. And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren, in the transmigration of Babylon. And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud. And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
🤔 Reflections
⛪ By listing sinful women like Tamar, Rahab, and the wife of Uriah in Christ's genealogy, the Evangelist did so not by chance, but to show that Christ, who came to save sinners, by being born of sinners, would erase the sins of all, just as a physician who visits the sick does not contract the fever, but cures it. (St. Augustine, Sermon 51). The genealogy demonstrates the immense condescension of God: He who has no beginning, the Only Begotten Son, accepts to have human ancestors so that we might become, by grace, children of God. (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 2). The nobility of this lineage lies not in blood, but in the faith of Abraham and the justice that, through the generations, prepared for the coming of Him who is Justice itself. The flesh of Christ comes from Adam, but His divinity comes from heaven. (St. Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke).
🔄 While Matthew traces Christ's genealogy from Abraham, focusing on His Jewish and royal heritage through the line of Solomon, the Gospel of Luke (3:23-38) presents a genealogy that goes backward from Jesus to Adam, "the son of God," emphasizing Christ's role as the Savior of all humanity. Luke also traces the royal descent through Nathan, another son of David, not Solomon. The Gospels of Mark and John contain no genealogies: Mark begins his account with the ministry of John the Baptist, focusing on the immediate action of Christ, while John opens with a theological prologue about the eternal Word ("In the beginning was the Word"), underscoring from the outset the pre-existent divinity of Jesus.
🕊️ St. Paul, though he does not detail an earthly genealogy, theologically complements its meaning. In Romans (1:3), he affirms that Jesus "was made of the seed of David according to the flesh," confirming the historical fact Matthew records, but immediately adds that He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness" (Rom 1:4), uniting humanity and divinity. Furthermore, Paul radicalizes the notion of descent in Galatians (3:29), arguing that the true "seed of Abraham" is not carnal, but spiritual, acquired through faith in Christ, thus making the promise universal. The Pauline theology of Christ's emptying (kenosis) in Philippians (2:6-7), who "took the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men," offers the key to interpreting the genealogy: the list of names is the historical record of this divine self-lowering out of love.
🏛️ Church documents solidify the theological importance of the genealogy. The Athanasian Creed (Quicumque Vult), formulated in the early centuries, defines Christ as "Perfect God, and perfect Man: of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting," and who was "born in time of His Mother," which Matthew's genealogy factually attests. The Council of Ephesus (431), by proclaiming Mary as Theotokos (God-bearer), confers a transcendental meaning to the final sentence of today's Gospel: "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus." The list of ancestors is not a mere historical record but the preparation of humanity to bear Him who is God. The Catechism of the Council of Trent used the reality of the genealogy to combat Docetic heresies, which denied the true humanity and physical body of Christ, affirming that His earthly lineage is irrefutable proof of His Incarnation.