The Extra Meisl: Sunday Gospel Reflections

Just as the people in the Gospel (John 6:24-35) are corrected by Jesus for focusing on the good, but external aspects of a sign (bread) rather than the better, divine truth it represented (Jesus is the bread of life), the Gospel today challenges us to ensure we come to Mass for the right reasons.

We have all experienced the painful experience of not getting what we ask for in prayer. The Gospel of today (Mk 5) gives us the hopeful message that God is always doing something when we pray, therefore we can have the courage to persevere.

When Jesus ascends into heaven, we are confronted with a paradox: Jesus loved us so much that He needed to leave us behind. If Jesus had not ascended, we would never have matured as disciples.

The Mandalorian and the Nativity both tell the story of a child entering a dark world who, though rejected by some, has the potential to bring hope and a new direction to life. Don't worry, there are no spoilers in this reflection for the 4th Sunday of Advent!

Living in a pandemic, it can be very hard to appreciate how we are supposed to rejoice on this Gaudete (Rejoice!) Sunday. The Gospel today (John 1) gives us hope. It tells us that Jesus is light in the darkness. When we are in a dark place, a little light makes a big difference. We can rejoice by recognizing the small ways Jesus is a light to us and by being a light to those around us.

The COVID pandemic has been like the wilderness or desert experiences we read about in the Bible. At different times, God's people found themselves in a literal or figurative desert. These were times of suffering, confusion and disruption. We can have hope because in the midst of these desert experiences God always proclaims a message of comfort to his people: God's saving help is on the way! Desert experiences are transformed into times of renewal. We, like the people in the readings today (Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8), are called to prepare ourselves to receive this salvation that comes at Christmas in a new way.

Every Advent season - especially an Advent during a pandemic - is a special time to pay attention to how God is working in our life and world. As the Gospel (Mk 13:33-37) tells us, we need to "Be watchful! Be alert!". God is trying to teach us something. Let us pay attention.

God has given each one of us incredibly valuable gifts. In the Gospel (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus teaches us that we will be judged based on how well we have used these gifts. This challenges us to change our perspective regarding what it means to follow Jesus well. Instead of focusing solely on the bad actions that we commit, we also need to pay close attention to those good actions that we neglected to do.

Waiting is difficult! Today's Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13) shows us that the tension of waiting is an opportunity for growth. We prepare ourselves to meet Jesus by growing in faith and the practice of charity. This challenge is particularly important during the pandemic, during which we can accept regulations and other sacrifices out of love and concern for others. In addition, reaching out to the lonely and isolated is especially important now.