Good morning! Welcome to today's Advent Moment reflection with Veronica Conlin, on the gospel from today's mass, Matthew 1:1-17. Today’s reading begins with the verse - ‘The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David and the son of Abraham.’  It then continues by naming all Jesus’ ancestors ending with ‘Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.’ Genealogies are important. They give us our roots and help us understand our heritage. In the native American tradition they often begin their rituals by ‘calling in the ancestors’. We too particularly remember our ancestors during the month of November.  Today we can show our gratitude to God for the faith which was passed down to us by our ancestors. A faith which sustains us through difficult times. A prayer of hope by Joyce Rupp God of hope, come!  Stir up stories of how the ancestors hung on to your promises, how they stole hope from tiny glimmers about you, passed on from age to age.  Help me hear the loud, crying voices of the prophets who proclaimed that a new age would dawn.  (Taken from Out of the Ordinary 2000 by Joyce Rupp. Used by permission of Ave Maria Press.   All rights reserved) Thank you for joining us today!