Gospel for December 3 2023 – Mark 13:33-37
Gospel Reflections for December 3 2023
Am I on the right path?
I hope your Thanksgiving Day was filled with great food, great football, and maybe even great political conversations, hopefully always given in a spirit of love and respect. After all, there are important events happening right now all over the world.
However, today’s Gospel paints a picture of the end of the world! That puts everything now …in a much larger and more meaningful perspective.
Today’s Gospel, and this whole Season of Advent, invites you to reflect on your life in this deeper and more meaningful way. Taking the time to see the larger perspective and direction of your life is healthy and wise. It helps you ask the right questions to make sure you are on the right path for lasting happiness.
- Is this the path I should have to achieve the goals I want?
- Are these the good and moral people I should associate with?
- Is this the right direction my life should be going?
These questions are a good start, and the answers will be helpful, but they should lead to the most important question of all.
- Am I getting closer …or further away from God?
(God is always the same unconditionally loving person, so it must be you that is either moving closer or further away!)
This Advent Season is a good time to remember why the Church is filled with the color purple. It comes from the color of the sky just before dawn, between the blackness of night and the bright light of sunrise. For thousands of years, people have found this early morning time useful for quiet and peaceful reflection. This purple sky time before the day even starts has inspired people for centuries to prepare themselves on a deeper level for the day to come. Why rush into any day if you don’t know why you are doing …whatever it is that you are doing!
Sunday Mass is also a perfect one-hour event each week that deeply connects you with the God of the universe and the loving creator of the very life you have …and His plan for your life.
I hope the Sundays of Advent will help re-orient yourself so that you can celebrate Christmas, and especially start the New Year with confidence, courage, hope, and, above all …great joy!
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Fr Dave,
I love the explanation of why the color purple is used for lent & also why dawn is a good time to connect with God & plan a day that will be pleasing to him.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Sherrie
I wish I was a morning person to see that sky more often!
THANKS Fr. Dave for explaining how we can direct our lives in the best way to assure we connect with God!
That is always our goal.
Fr. Dave,
Em generally aware of the substantive early morning natural light physical benefits to our brain and circadian rhythm functions, but never realized the spiritual benefits of the “purple sky’” I will be sure to look for it in my early morning walk tomorrow and apply to my spiritual journey. .
Thanks again for your boundless teaching and Spiritual growth!
Shalom Aleichem
You are lucky to be a morning person!
You are a gift of Jesus’ LOVE to us!!! The more beautifully mature Dick and I get, the more we so loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee our precious Jesus ., our beautiful Blessed Mother, our loving God, our precious Faith, our beautiful Family, and our precious Friends and your precious words and precious you and all our loving priests,!!! We are so Blessed!!! Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee living and hopefully bringing Jesus’ Love to everyone we touch!!! One person at a time!!! Loveeeeee you!!! A beautiful Advent to precious You!!!
While we bemoan all the evil in the world, Advent might be a good time
to look within and see if I am following the Lord, or something else.
I ask the Lord to give me the help that I need to think, do and say what is pleasing to Him
as I go about my daily routine.
That daily constant prayer throughout the day is the very best habit to have.
Dear Father Dave,
There is that daily moment in time when purple colors the sky, and it’s beautiful.
I like your reflection and connection….
God bless!
Kathleen
It is nice to know that God designed that morning moment to be so beautiful.