Catholic Activity: Jesse Tree, Day 12 — Ruth

Symbols: Sheaves of Grain

"Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God" (Ruth 1:16).

Ruth was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite. When her husband, her brother-in-law and father-in-law all died, her mother-in-law Naomi decided to return to the land of Israel. Ruth chose to stay with Naomi, so they moved together to Bethlehem. One day Ruth with the other women was gleaning the fields of Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi's husband, and she met Boaz himself, who was impressed by her. Eventually Boaz married Ruth, and she became the mother of Jesse, and the great-grandmother of David.

In Ruth's embracing of family and the faith of Israel, she becomes an ancestor of Christ, part of His genealogy, and plays a role in our salvation history.

Ruth was a gentile and converted to the faith of Israel. Her conversion gives a glimpse of how gentiles will become part of David's kingdom, but also the greater Kingdom of God, where there is a universal call to holiness: all nations are called to be part of the Body of Christ.

DIRECTIONS

Recommended Scripture Readings:

• Ruth 1:1-10, 16-19
• Ruth 2:1-17
• Ruth 4:10, 17, 22

Selections from The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

• CCC 489 Holy Women preparing for the Messiah
• CCC 1611 God's covenant with Israel in the image of exclusive and faithful married love

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Printable PDF Jesse Tree guide: The Jesse Tree: Advent 2023

Activity Source: Original Text (JGM) by Jennifer Gregory Miller, © Copyright 2003-2023 by Jennifer Gregory Miller