The Patience of Generations

The summer between my junior and senior year in college I interned at a genetics lab at Johns Hopkins. The lab was conducting a family study to isolate the genes linked to two diseases. I spent many long, quiet Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons that summer in the lab by myself on the computer genotyping a small portion of the genetic makeup for each person in a given family. In that time, I was struck by two things: the beautiful simplicity of genetics and the sheer vastness of our DNA.

So when I read the today’s gospel reading, the last stanza stood out to me. Fourteen generations times three - that is fifty-two generations between Abraham and Jesus. From a numbers standpoint that is an incredible number of ancestors for Jesus and an unfathomable number of descendants for Abraham. All connected, all related, all of the same basic DNA.

Fifty-two generations also means that Abraham and his descendants waited fifty-one generations for the birth of Jesus. Fifty-one generations is a long time. It is a long time to be faithful, to be devoted, to be patient. It is a long time to have hope, especially through times of famine, disease, and persecution. And yet, we read stories of how, time and time again, faith prevailed.

In the season of Advent, we find ourselves in a period of waiting and hopeful anticipation. My tendency, which is amplified by the bustle of the holiday season, is to plan and organize and stay busy. Having finished one holiday celebration on Saturday, I am now preparing the menu for Christmas dinner and after that I will start to plan my daughter’s birthday party. While I take joy in the details of these celebrations, I also find myself impatient when the gift I ordered is not eligible for next-day delivery and I have to wait an extra day or two for it to arrive. I am not good at waiting. Advent is a reminder for me to be patient, to slow down and enjoy my family. My holiday celebrations and memories will not be of the napkins we used or the stocking stuffers we had, rather the beautiful simplicity of the time spent together and the connections we feel to one another.

Author: Michele Williams, Asst. Principal of Faculty and Academic Support