A more intense preparation for Christmas begins today in the liturgy. One can sense in the readings the wonder of the early Christians as they pieced together the background of Jesus, His family tree, and realized that He fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Old Testament.

The first reading comes from the blessings given by the patriarch, Jacob, to his sons. That of Judah speaks of a future ruler who would come from his line of descent. Many consider the Gospel genealogy as one of the most boring passages of the year's readings in the liturgy. But genealogies are important to a people trying to discover its roots. Matthew's Church needed to experience its continuity with its Jewish past, but at the same time it became aware of discontinuity as well. This discontinuity can be seen in the genealogy by the presence of the women mentioned. These were all outside the Jewish way of life, either racially or morally, and yet the action of God in His people's history was passed on through them.