LIVE IT TODAY: Wednesday, December 17, 2025 | Advent Weekday
You are not an accident or an afterthought; your life is deliberately woven into My saving story.
A single, flickering note in the soul of a homeless man on Christmas Eve gathers a community out of darkness and into light. We are delighted to share with you, The Inn Crowd — a very moving Christmas short story. Please consider partnering with us in helping the world encounter Jesus Christ through this Live IT Today daily reflection, and our upcoming Live IT podcast and speaker series.
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LIVE IT TODAY: Wednesday, December 17, 2025
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
You are not an accident or an afterthought; your life is deliberately woven into My saving story.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 1:1–17
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
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,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
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 Christ, fourteen generations.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
God writes salvation through imperfect bloodlines.
At first glance, this Gospel feels more like a ledger than a revelation. Names stack upon names, generations upon generations. Yet Matthew places this genealogy at the very opening of the Gospel because before Jesus ever speaks, God is already preaching.
This is not a polished family tree. Matthew deliberately includes scandal, failure, exile, and moral complexity. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, “the wife of Uriah.” Kings both faithful and disastrous. The Messiah does not arrive by bypassing human brokenness; He enters it fully.
The Greek word Matthew uses here is genesis—a word that echoes creation itself. This genealogy is not merely about where Jesus came from; it proclaims that God is beginning again. Not by erasing history, but by redeeming it from the inside out.
Here is the quiet paradox of Advent: holiness does not require a flawless origin. Grace does not wait for a clean starting point. Redemption works forward, not backward. God does not ask where you came from before deciding where He can take you.
This strikes at a common lie whispered in many hearts and homes: “Our family is too broken.” “We’ve failed too much.” “The damage is already done.” The genealogy of Jesus dismantles that lie. God builds salvation history with real families, not ideal ones.
The domestic church stands at the center of this truth. Your marriage, your parenting, your household rhythms are not happening outside God’s plan; they are precisely where He intends to work. Not by perfection, but by fidelity. Not by image, but by perseverance. Not by control, but by trust.
Parents, Advent presses this home. Christ desires to be born into your family line today. Speak blessing where shame has lingered. Refuse the lie that the past has the final word. Build a saint-forming home by praying over your children by name in the power of the Holy Spirit, trusting that God is still writing His story through your yes.
“God is the author of salvation history, but man is its free and responsible subject.” (CCC 306)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where have I believed that my past disqualifies me from God’s work?
In My Home: What family wounds or patterns does Christ want to redeem—not erase?
In My World: How can I witness to hope by honoring God’s work in imperfect stories?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one moment from your family story—past or present—where God has brought good out of difficulty.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking the Holy Spirit to pour out grace to know God’s love personally; to break any whispers or lies of the Enemy; to strengthen each against temptation; and to help each live the Gospel joyfully and concretely in daily life.
Daily Challenge: Name one inherited pattern or wound you will intentionally entrust to Jesus today, and take one small step to live differently.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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