A Homily on Matthew 1:1 – 17: Waiting Patiently (17-12-25)

A reflection on Matthew 1:1 to 17 that reveals patient waiting as the quiet strength behind the genealogy of Jesus. (17-12-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

Many years ago, a bus was travelling through a hilly road in the high ranges. The road was narrow, full of sharp bends, and covered with thick mist. The driver had been driving on that road for many years. He knew where the road was safe and where it was dangerous. He never hurried. Even when others told him to go faster, he would say quietly, My duty is not to reach fast, but to reach safe.

That evening, heavy rain began to fall. The road became slippery. The mist grew thicker. The passengers became uneasy and asked the driver to hurry and cross the hills quickly. The driver did not argue. He slowed down even more. At one sharp bend, the headlights showed something shocking. A part of the road had collapsed. There was a deep valley below. Because the bus was moving slowly, the driver stopped in time. Silence filled the bus. Fear turned into gratitude. One passenger said softly, “Your patience saved our lives”.

On this seventeenth day of Advent, the Gospel places before us the genealogy of Jesus. At first glance, it looks like a dry list of names. But in truth, it is a long road of patient waiting. Matthew begins his Gospel not with action, but with waiting.

Each name in the genealogy represents people who waited. Abraham waited many years for a son. Judah waited for the promise of leadership. David waited through success, sin, and repentance. Then came exile, suffering, and silence. Generation after generation waited. God did not hurry. He guided history patiently, just as that driver guided the bus through the mist.

The first reading from Genesis speaks of Judah. From him shall come the ruler. That promise did not come quickly. Many who carried that promise died without seeing its fulfillment. Still they waited. Waiting did not mean doing nothing. It meant trusting God even when nothing seemed to happen.

This is very important for our family life today. We live in a world that wants everything fast; fast answers, fast results and fast success, but God works slowly.  So parents need to wait patiently for their children to grow in faith. Husbands and wives need to wait for understanding and peace. Often family prayer feels ordinary and weak: lighting a lamp, saying  the same simple prayer, and reading  a small passage from the Bible. Many stop praying because they feel nothing is changing. But the genealogy teaches us that God works through slow and faithful waiting.

Saint Joseph stands quietly in this genealogy. He waited patiently when he did not understand God’s plan. He waited before acting, and  He waited before speaking. Because of his patient trust, Jesus was welcomed into the world safely. Joseph shows us that waiting patiently is not weakness, but it is strength.

The genealogy also shows that God does not reject families because of failure. There are broken stories and sinful moments in that list. Still God waits with them and works through them. Jesus comes not through perfect families, but through families that wait patiently with faith.

Advent invites us to become like that driver. Life is full of mist and we do not see everything clearly. If we hurry, we may fall, but if we wait patiently with God, he will guide us safely.

As Christmas comes near, let us not hurry, but Let us wait patiently in prayer, in faith, and in hope. God is faithful; He will come, at the right time.

Lord, give us the grace to wait patiently. Amen

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