In today’s gospel, we get a bit of history lesson as Matthew walks us through Jesus’s genealogy. Though, I’m not a biblical scholar (as I often told my favorite Theology professor), Matthew is reminding us that Jesus’s life was prophesized. He was a son of Abraham, a son of David. His lineage placed him to be the King of Israel.
This got me thinking about my own genealogy. I haven’t really done any deep digging. In fourth grade, I did a project where I interviewed my grandparents and my great grandparents (I was blessed to have many alive). I learned some amazing things about my relatives that still, after all these years, I hold dear. Some of you reading this may have researched your family’s genealogy. There may be some things in it you don’t want to share or even acknowledge. The list of Jesus’s ancestors is full of flawed humans, too. Some reading this may not know anything about their heritage or blood relatives. Yet, as Jesus’s life was prophesized, I believe so was mine and so was yours. Maybe prophesized is a bit strong, but my life and yours has always been known by God. Psalm 139 reminds me of that, “….a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders. You knew me through and through, my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth.”
My coworker gave a reflection at a division meeting a few years ago that has stayed with me. He shared Dr. Ali Binazir’s message of how each one of us is a miracle.
- The odds of your parents even meeting: 1 in 20 thousand.
- That they were together enough to successfully create you: 1 in 400 quadrillion (10 with 17 zeroes)
- The existence of You, your parents, grandparents, etc. predisposes that there is an unbroken line of ancestors. 1 in 10 to the 45,000th power.
- All told, the odds of you existing are 1 in 10 to the 2 million, 685 thousandth power. 1 with 2,685,000 zeroes behind it.
Whether your life was prophesized or a complete surprise, you are a miracle. Please say a prayer of gratitude for the miracle of your life with all its joys and sadness, laughter and tears, boredom and excitement.
Today you will be amongst other miracles. Some of them you may love, recognizing the miracle of their presence. Others may annoy you, acknowledging them as miracles might be very difficult. You might watch the news and see individuals or groups of people and question the miracle of their lives. But they are miracles, too. As children of God, the miracle of our life is the greatest gift. God is asking us to accept it with love and to share the love in return.
Amy Turbes
Amy Turbes is a spiritual director and has worked at Creighton University for almost 20 years in University Relations.
As a true extrovert, Amy loves connecting people dots. She believes in the six degrees of separation rule and will make sure to figure out how you are connected or how she can connect you to someone. This part of her personality is genetic and has led to fun conversations with strangers.
