Commentary on the Gospel of
Matthew 1,1-16.18-23
The Gospel according to Matthew begins with the exposition of the genealogy of Jesus to focus on the narration of conception and birth. At the center of the passage is the blunt statement that moves the evangelist along these lines: Jesus is God with us.
In the first part, the original function of the genealogical tree is to affirm that Jesus proceeds from the Patriarch Abraham through the royal dynasty of Israel; He is not only a true Jew, but a descendant of David. Jesus is integrated as Messiah of Israel in continuity with the history of Israel. Another important fact is the mention of four women, all with a certain controversial fame in the history of Israel. Such a statement aims to place special emphasis on the fact that history is guided by God, despite the weakness of the human being. The key to genealogy is to connect its history with the history of the people of Israel: a single history of salvation. History of sanctity and sin. The second part, emphasizes that Jesus is the Emmanuel. Jesus is not only a magnitude of the past, but one that accompanies and sustains his community. The figure of Mary has a special value in the middle of the story.
In fact, history and humanity are combined in Mary, from which Jesus is born. She is Mother, bride, wife and Virgin. God gives us in Mary the prototype of humanity chosen and completed according to His own desire. Our eyes turn to Jesus, God with us, who shares our history and our humanity. And, from Him, inevitable in Mary, recipient of which God serves to give us his saving presence in the world. Mary is an expression of the dream of God who wants to save mankind. She did not know from the beginning that she would be the Mother of God, but the way she traveled made her assiduous attitude and loving confidence in God and in her will. In Mary we discover that humanity is capable of God's dream. Each of us, in spite of our history, is always challenged by God to let ourselves be transformed by Him, to let His dream be realized in us and to make us recipients of His saving presence in the world. May Mary teach us to say yes, without reservations, with a constant heart and loving trust in God who calls us always and in every moment.
