Gospel Reflections for December 1 2019
Is this the right direction?
I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I also want to especially welcome all those who had the courage and strength to travel in this hectic holiday season! Welcome home!
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 political events right now. However, today’s Gospel paints a picture of the end of the world. That puts everything in a much larger perspective!
Today’s Gospel, and this whole Season of Advent, invites you to reflect on your life in a deeper 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 schedule I should have to achieve the goals I want?
- Are these the good and moral people I should be associating 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 be 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. Maybe because this “purple sky time” is before the day even starts people have used it 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 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. 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 …a spirit of joy!
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Dear Father Dave,
What a great reflection…. thank you.
Your words prompted the following thoughts.
Where we are on the sliding rule of time may help us put our lives and desires in their respective places.
The young have a wider stage than the old. Still, there is a common prevailing denominator … be ready for the unexpected or at least try to be.
The answer to readiness is different for everyone. The head of the family may hope that all his finances are in order, the “chef” may hope all his recipes are in order, the mother may hope all her children are in good, safe places, artists and writers are always sipping on hope … and the list goes on. Clearly, the prevailing modifier in all cases is hope. We hope, and then hopefully through faith, we pray.
Prayer will lift and carry us through everything! I know this is true.
God bless you in all that you do.
Kathleen A.
Yes, I agree. Hope is the perfect word for this season and worthy of our reflection every day. Well said!
Thank you, Fr. Dave. I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Your message is especially poignant for me right now as I prepare to transition into new ventures, which I believe will afford me personal and spiritual development. Every morning I rise at 4:30 a.m. to begin my juicing routine and to have a cup of coffee in time to go to the gym before work. I especially enjoy that tranquil time of the morning as I enjoy my warm cup of coffee before everyone is up, which allows me a brief time of reflection.
You are very lucky to be a morning person. I wish I was. Your morning routine is outstanding!
Great. Dave
Yes it is good to reflect on what is bringing us closer to Jesus. I pray that I am on the right path in spending time in prayer, service to my community, trying to be the reflection of Jesus to all.
The baby will soon come again in our hearts with no place but a stable.
God bless
Jane
Yes, we are often the humble stable where Our lord desires to arrive in peace.
Your reflection reminded me of crater lake in Oregon. It ss so deep that it has a purple color to it. When u r there and see it u knoe ansolutely that there is a God. There is domething about it that when u look down at it that it speaks to u sayin come to me.
That reminds me of ur reflection and the Lord is saying that to us to put down all and come to Him.
What an interesting parallel to the color of the sky and Crater Lake! Thank you for sharing it.
Good reflexion! I’m in a VERY reflexive place as I recover from my surgery. I praise God as He permeates my subconscious with spiritual songs and praises while dealing with the pain and daily discomfort. Don’t know how unbelievers survive similar challenges!
I’ll be sending you an email reference if that issue of “unbelievers “ in our own family! Laus Deo, Patty
Sorry for my late response here. I did receive your message, and continue to pray for them.