Days of Advent from 17th to 24th: December 17
- St. Josep Manyanet priest and founder (1833-1901)
- Bl. Matilde del Sagrado Corazón virgin and founder (1841-1902)
- Saint of the Day
First Reading
The scepter will not depart from Judah.
From the Book of Genesis
Gen 49:2.8-10
In those days, Jacob called his sons and said:
“Gather yourselves together and listen, O sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel, your father!
Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down like a lion,
and like a lioness; who dares to rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and to whom is the obedience of the peoples.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
From Ps 71 (72)
R. May your kingdom of justice and peace come.
O God, entrust your judgment to the king,
to the king’s son your justice;
may he judge your people with justice
and your poor with right judgment. R.
May the mountains bring peace to the people,
and the hills justice.
May he render justice to the poor of the people,
and save the children of the needy. R.
In his days may the just flourish
and peace abound,
till the moon is no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth. R.
May his name endure forever,
before the sun may his name spring forth.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed,
and all nations shall call him blessed. R.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
O Wisdom of the Most High,
who orders all things with strength and gentleness:
come to teach us the way of wisdom.
Alleluia.
The Gospel of the Day December 17, 2025
The genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 1:1-17
The genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Aram, Aram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph, Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Mattan, Mattan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Saint Irenaeus of Lyon (ca 130-ca 208)
bishop, theologian, and martyr
Against Heresies, IV, 20, 4-5 (transl. cb@evangelizo)
“The genealogy of Jesus Christ”
There is but one Lord, who created and ordered all things by the Word and Wisdom… He who works all in all, in his greatness, is invisible and indescribable to all the beings created by him: for no one has fathomed his origin. Nevertheless, he does not remain unknown. In his love, from the creation of the world, he can be contemplated through him by whom he created all things (Rom 1:20). It is the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who in the fullness of time became man among men to unite the end with their beginning, that is, man to God. This is why the prophets, endowed with their charism by the Word himself, foretold the incarnation of him who would effect perfect communion between God and man according to the eternal plan of the Father’s love. From the beginning of history, the Word had announced that men would see God and that God would live with them in the world and speak with them (Bar 3:38) and would be near the man he created to save him… The prophets foretold that God would be seen by men, in accordance with the Lord’s words: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). Certainly, in the reality of his greatness and ineffable glory, “no one can see God and live” (Ex 33:20). Indeed, that God is inaccessible. But in his love, in his goodness and in his power, he has gone so far as to grant to those who love him the privilege of being able to see him. And this is precisely what the prophets announced, because “what is impossible for human beings, is possible for God” (Lk 18:27).
THE WORDS OF THE POPES
Matthew opens his Gospel and the entire New Testament canon with the «genealogy of Jesus son of David, son of Abraham» (Mt 1:1), which we have just heard. 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 constituted by true history, where some names that are, to say the least, problematic are present and the sin of King David is highlighted (cf. Mt 1:6). Everything, however, culminates and flourishes in Mary and in Christ (cf. Mt 1:16)» The truth of human life then appears, which passes from one generation to the next, handing over three things: a name that contains a unique identity and mission; belonging to a family and a people; and finally, adherence of faith to the God of Israel. The genealogy is a literary genre, that is, a form suitable for conveying a very important message: no one gives life to themselves, but receives it as a gift from others; in this case, it concerns the chosen people who inherit the deposit of the heritage. (Pope Francis – General Audience, December 18, 2024)
