Gospel for December 1 2024 – Luke 21:25-36
Gospel Reflections for December 1 2024
Am I on the right path?
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 and more serious perspective.
Today’s Gospel, and this whole Season of Advent, invites you to reflect on your life in a deeper and more serious 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 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 of you, so it must be you that is either moving closer or further away!)
The Church is now filled with the color purple. Why is that? It comes from the color of the sky just before dawn, between the black of night and the bright light of sunrise. For centuries, people have found this early morning time useful for peaceful reflection. People used this “purple sky time” before the day even starts 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 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 Advent Sundays 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
Happy Advent!!! Love this time of year. Lent is my biggerfavorite. Thank you for reminding us to slow down to reflect as it is so easy to forget the reason for the season with all that we do. Why am I cooking and baking like crazy? Shopping for 11 grandchildren and a big family? How do I really want to spend this important time? I’m thankful our Catholic religion teaches is to constantly remain vigilant. Keep our eye on the ball. The reason WHY we do what we do. God Bless you Father! Here’s to a fruitful Advent season!
Well said!
Advent reminds me of the song, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through”
I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of other things that I might forget to give
the Lord some. time. But through it all God is with me, waiting, loving and helping me
to draw closer to Him.
Yes, you have understood this Sunday’s message well!
Hello Dear Fr. Dave and fellow pilgrims,
I would like to share my story with you all.
I set forth on my ” do it now or never” pilgrimage and Camino de Santiago in September. Created the Itinerary with my colleague Patricia. All for our Lord, we included Mount St Michele, Sacre Coure, Little Terese in Lisieux, she was quite difficult to find. Miraculous Medal’s St Catherine Labourae, and other Churches in Paris.
Now to begin my hiking it… Camino de Santiago in Burgos Spain, which I am not endorsing as it can be brutal at times.
My aim was to pay homage to Our Lord, I hiked 452 kilometers and did remain focused on my purpose.
No one told me Spain is made of broken Roman roads, jagged rocks and stones, yet it is.
I am 64 years and never fell, nor got lost. All blessings recieved on my journey were so beautifully overwhelming and the folks I met were many and kind.. Sacerdotes, (Priests) and Monjes (nuns) reached out to us, to celebrate Mass to Bless us, to Catechize us, to welcome us. I am the beneficiary of such
extraordinary gifts, a bounty, and in each I saw the goodness of our Lord’s existence and the strength of our Holy Church, it remains the same everywhere.
It is so easy to get lost, disoriented or distracted on this pilgrim road for there are many distractions and poor decisions one can make.
So the frequent question was actually, “am I on the right path.”….
Asked by a fellow pilgrim on the Meseta, Prarie, about what time I would catch up with my colleague, as I seem to be the last pilgrim on the road. I shared my strategy, saying, I am enjoying my journey, I’m going to see the Lord, gona contemplate, breath the good air, see the beauty of his creation, not in no hurry.
The sky on the Meseta is enormous with clouds swaying in a joyful presence. Alone, I sung onto the Lord, with my voice on high, belteding out my loving words on to HIM, I was not yet finished when I noticed the moving clouds, one set turned a gorgeous pink, I am in complete AWE… take out my cell phone and took the photo.
What,,,,, that was my Lord in the heavens., he heard me…. He hears us… oh what joy, He hears…
At days end I shared the photo with my Colleague, but yet how curious that I do not have that photo in my collection any more. ….TRUST IN THE LORD.
Oh what a beautiful Blessing I did receive, and do continue to label all my blessings as such. Not coincidences, not luck, Just gifts from Christ the King. Thank you for listening.
Quite a remarkable story, and with themes in line with the Season of Advent in a very beautiful way.
Happy New Liturgical Year, New Song Books in the Pews, Advent is the Season of Renewal.
Preparing for the Birth of Our Savior and Lord coming not in the grandeur of Limosines or Helicopters but rather as a small Child born of a Beautiful Virgin in a Pasture under a Brilliant Star with Purple Sky! Witnessed by Shepherds keeping watch on their herds of Sheep.
This scene prepares us for. His Mission to guide us with Love of God and each other that will reshape our thinking and our relationships and show us the way to happiness now and for Eternity.
Wow! What a great and Glorious Tradition Life He Leads for us to follow and embrace. Happy Advent to All and May Notre Dame beat U.S.C.
Beautiful thoughts, Tom, thank you. I am a USC graduate but always root for ND at the big game every year!
I am Happy to hear that. It was a great game but the two interceptions and 98 yard run backs sealed the Victory. I get great medical care at USC Keck
So am not sad when USC wins but had an older brother that attended Notre Dame.
Have a Great Advent and keep up Blessing those you serve so very well.
Tom Joyce
Thanks! Go Irish and Go Trojans!
Love this precious time of year!! Amazing, precious Faith!! Love preparing for our loving Jesus’ coming!! Beautiful birth, beautiful life of giving love, beautiful joy in sharing our Jesus’ love with others!!!Amazing love, amazing Faith and we are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo blessed to have Jesus in our life!!!A most beautiful Advent to you our loving Father Dave and to you Tom, Philomena and Margaret, and Kathleen!!! Love your words and loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee you all!!! And Notre Dame beat U.S.C. Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it!!! Till we meet again!! Happy, precious, Advent!!!
Thank you!
I read your reflections each week … I enjoy your thoughts and your perspective. Best to you and to St. Bruno’s.
Thank you for your kind words, and blessing on our parish!