Monday Inspirations
Posted December 22nd, 2025
Inspiration to Start the Work Week
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
It brings me joy when I hear that these Monday Inspirational messages are resonating with you.
This Monday I offer you an excerpt from The Year of the Grace of the Lord by a Monk of the Eastern Church. We have several copies in our bookstore and I recommend it. This is a reflection on the genealogy read this Sunday. I hope it speaks to your heart as it does to mine.
Below that is a similar reflection from the Archdiocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Love in Christ,
Fr. Paul
The gospel read at liturgy (the whole of Matthew Chapter 1) traces back the genealogy of Jesus according to the flesh. The generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; ...". And it continues up to Joseph 'the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ'. We have read or heard this genealogy many times. We may have the impression that this reading is of purely historical and documentary interest. What can this list of names bring us that has any spiritual import? But each one of these names does have a particular meaning, if we remind ourselves of the story of the person who bore it. What needs to be clearly understood is that the ancestors of Jesus were not all just and holy men. Amongst them are also sinners; those who have committed incest, adultery, murder; an alien woman: the names of Judas, of Thamar, of David and Ruth are filled with spiritual significance. Jesus wanted, humanly, to be linked with 'all that', and to 'all those'. He wanted to clear a way for himself through the sins and crimes of men. And so it is the history of each one of us that he takes upon himself and overcomes. For each one of us has some of the features of those of Jesus's ancestors who are the furthest from holiness. In each of us can be found, either dormant or awakened, the sins of the patriarchs and of their children. All the same, however, Jesus must be born in us. We must, in ourselves, overcome and go beyond the misdeeds that certain names in the genealogy of Jesus represent. It is necessary for us to live this genealogy, for us to acquire a personal experience of it, so that through falling and starting afresh we shall eventually reach Joseph and Mary. This does not mean sinning deliberately so that we can identify ourselves more closely with the genealogy of our Lord, but simply means recognizing certain elements of this genealogy in the sins that we do commit, and of uniting ourselves in spirit to the progressive purification which prepared for the birth of Jesus. Thus the genealogy of Christ will become an intregal part of our own lives.
Y2AM - Orthodox Christian Youth and Young Adult Ministries's Post
As we get closer to the Nativity, we hear the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This Gospel, while long, is a reminder that God works through real people with real stories. It shows that Jesus didn’t appear out of nowhere; He stepped into a messy, imperfect world.
When young people see names like Ruth, David, and Rahab, they’re seeing people who struggled, failed, tried again, and still became part of God’s plan. The genealogy tells us that God can use anyone’s life, no matter their background or mistakes. It also shows that Jesus came not only for humanity but through humanity, choosing to be connected to us in the most personal way.
As we approach Christmas, this story invites us to see our own lives as part of something bigger and more meaningful. It challenges us to bring hope, kindness, and courage into our families and communities the way Jesus did. And it calls us to step forward with faith, believing that God can write something beautiful through our story too. #Nativity #Orthodoxy
