Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab,
Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz.
His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother was Ruth.
Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the king.
David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah’s wife.
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings: Abijah, Asaph,
Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah.
Josiah was 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 and Salathiel of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor.
Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud.
Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ —the Messiah.
There were then fourteen generations from Abraham to David,
and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon,
and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ.

REFLECTION:
We begin today the “O Antiphons.” The 1st “O Antiphon” announces the “Wisdom of God!”
God in His divine Wisdom Knows the whole story of man and mankind and has so designed that in the fullness of time,
in His time, His Divine will – the salvation of man – is fulfilled.
Jacob gives a blessing and a prophecy to all his 12 sons.
One would expect that he would give a special and best blessing to his favorite son, Joseph.
Instead it is Judah who receives the extraordinary blessing!
The son who was behind the sale of Joseph into captivity is the son who to whom the “scepter”
or the authority is handed on. Judah’s house would be blessed and all his brothers would bow to him,
to a son from his fami­ly line. That prophecy of Jacob is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus who comes from the tribe of Judah.
The proclamation of the Genea­logy of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew reveals the Wisdom of God who can
“write straight from crooked lines.” We must never underestimate the Wisdom of God.
From our broken histories God can bring out something wonderful and holy! “O Sapientia Dei!”

© Copyright Bible Diary 2020