Today, on the Sunday before Christmas, the Church once again focuses our attention on the men and women who have believed in the true God and prepared the way for the coming of His Son. Today’s Gospel is from Saint Matthew’s account of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ and traces His human ancestry back to the Patriarch Abraham.
This Gospel might sound to us like a rather dry collection of names. Likewise, the focus on the Old Testament figures and prophecies in the days before Christmas could sound like a mere focus on historical details that seem rather removed from our lives.
It is striking, however, that the liturgical texts of the Church do not speak of the great events of our salvation in the past tense, but rather in the present tense. Christmas is not simply an historic event, but something that is real and present here and now. Therefore, the liturgical texts constantly emphasise the word “today”:
“Today the Virgin comes to the cave.”
“Today the Virgin gives birth.” “Today heaven and earth have been made one.”
This “today” cuts across the centuries, making the events of the past present to us in a way that is more than mere historical remembrance. Christ’s coming is ever-new. But, like those Old Testament figures who waited for him with eager expectation, so we need to open our hearts to Him. He comes to us, but we will only experience His presence to the extent that we make space for Him in our lives and eagerly seek His Coming.