Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent(Click here for readings)
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
It's a long list, with lots of weird names. It's a struggle to read and listen to, but it is well worth it. Do you know why?
God's graces through the ages and by name. I laugh every time I see their commercials, but for all the reasons they don't want me to laugh. It helps to read the small print. Apparently, their "success" stories are made-up stories told by hired actors and actresses. So you're telling me you couldn't find a single customer who was successful in investigating their past? Second, their made-up stories are not so much a reflection of the past but a barrage of anachronisms. In one commercial, a young woman finds out her great grandmother was somewhat of a black widow. She was married once, twice, three times!
Oh, how pathetic!
Who are these people? You guessed it: Ancestry.com.
"Our mission is to help everyone discover, preserve and share their family history... We believe that most people have a fundamental desire to understand who they are and from where they came..."
Really??? I don't think so. If Americans had a fundamental desire to know who they are and from where they came from then they have a pretty funny way of showing it. In my opinion, rewriting history is not an appropriate manner to understand who we are and where we came from. Calling people "medieval" when they do not agree with you is definitely not a very intellectual let alone desirable way to know who we are and where we came from.
To ancestry.com I say: Good luck! You have embarked on a Mission Impossible, for we Americans have done everything in our power to destroy and ridicule our history, our traditions and our values and morals. Like Nazis from the past, many activists today have something like a book burning party every season. They fan the flames of modernity by oversimplifying the past. They keep telling us that "times are a changing" but refuse to admit it may be changing for the worse, and that maybe now might be a good place to stop or go in reverse.
But how do you tell this to a generation of people who not only believe they come from the "greatest" nation on earth but are the "greatest" generation to ever inhabit the earth?
If we were really interested in our past and truly had a deep appreciation for it, we would have spent more time with our grandparents and parents.
The Jews had a deep respect and admiration for their past. The reason for it was quite simple: they associated it with God. They saw history and personalities in black and white - in a state of grace or disgrace, with the Lord or against Him.
Advent is both the retelling of salvation history and the continuation of it. The better we understand those involved in its preparation, the better we will be at continuing it.
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