The Gospel today is the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The Gospel opens by naming the many people in Jesus’ lineage. The list begins with Abraham and continues to the time of Jesus’ birth. Many generations are listed. Some of the names are very familiar to us. However, we also may hear names of people that we know almost little or nothing about. Genealogy has become a serious hobby for many people. As human beings, we instinctively are curious to know where we came from and who we belong to---even if they lived a hundred years ago.
We are shaped and formed by our families. Most of us don’t choose our family; we are born into a family. We begin learning from our family the moment we are born - (or perhaps even when we are in the womb). Jesus also was shaped by His family. Mary and Joseph were His first teachers. They taught Jesus about God, life, love, how to act, how to pray and so much more.
Take a moment and ask yourself: what did you learn in your family? What are the gifts that you received from your family? What do you consider the greatest gift that you received from your family? What did you learn in your family that was painful or disappointing? No family is perfect, just as we are not perfect. What were the challenges in your family? How did you deal with them?
Today may we take time and reflect on our family: our birth family and also the family we belong to at this time. What are the gifts they give us? What do we appreciate about our family? What might be disappointing to us about our family? What is the greatest gift you received from our family? What are the gifts that we  share with them?
Today may we give thanks for our families and the many gifts they have given to us!

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