Today's Good News Reflection

Today's Gospel passage reminds me of my family tree and the ancestor who was a "black sheep" of the family. My great-great-grandfather founded a shoe store in New York City that he built up into a well-known chain of stores across the nation. He wanted his sons to inherit the family business by learning the trade from the ground floor and working their way up in responsibility. One of his sons - my great-grandfather - did not like this, so he ran away, leaving behind his wife and children.

His wife hired a detective to locate him, so he fled from the city, wound his way down through New Jersey with a false identity, and eventually settled in Pennsylvania with a new wife (while still legally married to the first one) and a new brood of children.

One of the daughters of this illegitimate marriage was my grandmother, who begat my mother, who begat me. If Great-Granddad had not been so sinful, if he'd been a morally strong, responsible fellow, I would not exist! Nor would I be writing these Good News Reflections for you.

Does this justify what he did? Of course not. What it shows is that God makes good come from EVERYthing! And that is the point of Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. It might seem boring to read or hear, but if you knew genealogy the way Matthew's audience knew genealogy, you'd find it very fascinating.

The list includes scoundrels, horse thieves, adulterers and other black sheep in the family line. Matthew did not name every generation; he highlighted the sinners to make a point: Out of a family of black sheep came an unblemished lamb who would remove the stain of sin from all generations.

If the great King David had not sinned by marrying someone else's wife, Solomon would never have been born, and from Solomon came the line that eventually begat Mary (as the genealogy in Luke 3:23-38 implies) who begat Jesus. And that is only one example of the many sinful twists and turns that brought Jesus into the world. God writes straight with crooked lines!

Do you have regrets? We all do. Instead of beating yourself up, look at how God is using them to benefit his kingdom - or how he could if you let him. If you don't see it happening yet, hand over to him the sins you've committed that you still haven't forgiven yourself for. Ask Jesus to redeem these bad situations by making good come from them. For example, turn them into a ministry that helps others avoid or recover from their own bad decisions.

Have you learned from your sins? Have you passed these lessons on to others? Has your life improved since you repented? Do you have more compassion toward others? Are you giving Jesus to people you never would have met if you had led a blameless life?

If you've not yet heard Jesus absolve you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, go to Confession. Then, ask Jesus to apply his redemptive love to the situations that were affected by your sins. And finally, count your blessings - the signs that indicate our Redeemer is turning your regrets into goodness. Slow down and spend some time praising God for these awesome victories.