Daily Gospel Reflection for December 17, 2025

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Lisa Connor

Today's Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17

As is often the case with genealogy, many of us may find this Gospel boring, confusing, or just flat-out unnecessary. But if that is the case, why would it be the leading piece in the first Gospel written?

To understand, we must do more than scan this reading. We must be alert. Faith is not passive. We must actively engage to understand.

This seemingly dull, monotonous Gospel places Jesus directly in human history. In the first fourteen generations, we are given proof that He is a descendent of the patriarchs of the Jewish people: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The second fourteen generations give proof of his royal lineage to Kings David and Solomon. The last generations? They are all sorts of people, holy and unholy. Some are obvious sinners and outcasts. Unusual for the time, there are even four seemingly broken women included. These are not exactly the kind of people one might want in a family tree. Why are they here?  

These people illustrate that in His humanness, Jesus embodies all of humanity and chooses to embrace us with His divinity. We are ALL invited to the table - the holy, the royal and the sinner.  

And the women? Jesus’ great grandmothers, of sorts? Maybe, just maybe, they represent His unusual conception and unsurpassed bond with his mother, our mother, Mary.  

Our family tree makes us who we are. In that way, everyone has value, dignity, and honor to pass to the next generation.   Perhaps this is included not only to show us where Jesus came from, but to inspire us to encourage the next generation of God’s people.  

Ponder:

Do I fully  embrace the embrace the responsibility of guiding and mentoring the next generation? What does that look like? Am I actively participating or just letting it happen?

Pray:

Dear Lord, please give the faith and the tools I need to be Your hands and feet on the ground guiding the next generation. Let me recognize my own value in Your plan and act with strength and grace.

Copyright 2025 Lisa Connor

Lisa and her husband, Mike, have been married for twenty-nine years and are the parents of five teens and twentysomethings. She is passionate about working with the Catholic Education Foundation to change the lives of the less fortunate with education.