Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 1, 1-16; 18-23

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.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mary

1. The story. The idea that “what’s done is done and nothing can change it” is not directly a quote from Aristotle, but it aligns with some of his philosophical concepts of the past being unchangeable through actions.  But when I look at Jesus’s family tree and all the people in it, I’m struck by how flawed people were transformed for good, and it also gives me hope. Seeing the history and the mistakes and sins of these individuals and then seeing God bring out the best in them, gives me the hope to keep pushing forward, knowing that I can change for the better and that God can bring out something good in you and me.

2. Reframing the past. Today, on Mary’s birthday, remember that you can change how you view the past by adopting a new perspective. Even difficult memories, such as a childhood with many shortcomings, can become stories of love and sacrifice, so it doesn’t feel like suffering. The key is to look at the past to build a different story. There’s a difference between the past and your story: the past is what happened at a certain time. Your story is what you choose to make of that past—what you keep and what you leave behind.

3. People. Certain people shape our past and remain important in our memories. These are people who have had a profound impact on you, and no one can take that away. They are the people you honor with your memory and your recollections. Today, as we celebrate Mary’s birth, we honor her impact on our lives. Happy Mary’s Day.

Remember that something good is on the way! 

God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.