Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 (September 8)

In this gospel, we are shown the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Some may think of it merely as a record and list of names, but when explained, it is much more different than that.

If we look closely at the names, most of the ancestors of our Lord are not the names you will normally link to someone of greatness. Some of them are criminals and prostitutes, people who are detested by society, but in the end they are the people form where our Lord took root.

This Gospel shows us that OUR PAST DOES NOT DEFINE OUR FUTURE, it doesn't where we come from or what we did before, the path God has for us is greater than our past. The sufferings and wrong doings we have done before should not prevent us from being a better person today. We may have had a rough start, but that doesn't mean we can pick ourselves up and journey to where God wants us to be.