Matthew 1, 1-17 + CSDC and CV

Holy Gospel according to Matthew

(CV 1a) [Caritas in Veritate - Charity in truth] Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity. Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth.  

The  Church offers her social doctrine to the people of our time

  (CSDC 3a) [Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church] To the people of our time, her travelling companions, the Church also offers her social doctrine. In fact, when the Church “fulfils her mission of proclaiming the Gospel, she bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity and his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches him the demands of justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom”[3].

Notes: [3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2419.

  Matthew 1, 1-17

(Mt 1, 1-17) David, the prototype of the king chosen by Yahweh   

[1] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. [2] Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. [3] Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, [4] Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, [5] Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, [6] Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. [7] Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. [8] Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. [9] Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. [10] Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. [11] Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. [12] After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13] Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, [14] Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, [15] Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, [16] Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. [17] Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

CSDC 378. The prototype of the king chosen by Yahweh is David, whose humble origins are a favourite topic of the biblical account (cf. 1 Sam 16:1-13). David is the recipient of the promise (cf. 2 Sam 7:13-16; Ps 89:2-38, 132:11-18), which places him at the beginning of a special kingly tradition, the “messianic” tradition. Notwithstanding all the sins and infidelities of David and his successors, this tradition culminates in Jesus Christ, who is par excellence “Yahweh's anointed” (that is, “the Lord's  consecrated one”, cf. 1 Sam 2:35, 24:7,11, 26:9,16; Ex 30:22-32), the son of David (cf. Mt 1:1-17; Lk 3:23-38; Rom 1:3). The failure of kingship on the historical level does not lead to the disappearance of the ideal of a king who, in fidelity to Yahweh, will govern with wisdom and act in justice. This hope reappears time and again in the Psalms (cf. Ps 2, 18, 20, 21, 72). In the messianic oracles, the figure of a king endowed with the Lord's Spirit, full of wisdom and capable of rendering justice to the poor, is awaited in eschatological times (cf. Is 11:2-5; Jer 23:5-6). As true shepherd of the people of Israel (cf. Ezek 34:23-24, 37:24), he will bring peace to the nations (cf. Zech 9:9-10). In Wisdom Literature, the king is presented as the one who renders just judgments and abhors iniquity (cf. Prov 16:12), who judges the poor with equity (cf. Prov 29:14) and is a friend to those with a pure heart (cf. Prov 22:11). There is a gradual unfolding of the proclamation of what the Gospels and other New Testament writings see fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, the definitive incarnation of what the Old Testament foretold about the figure of the king.

[Initials and Abbreviations.- CSDC: Pontifical Council for Justice And Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church; -  SDC: Social Doctrine of the Church; - CV: Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in truth)]