The Extra Meisl: Sunday Gospel Reflections

Why did the crowd reject Christ? (Palm Sunday, yearA)

The two Gospel we hear on Palm or Passion Sunday show diverse reactions to Jesus. While there are some who stand by Jesus through His Passion, many abandon Him. Why? The answer can be found in the palms they waved. Jesus was an unexpected Messiah.

Three Tombs (5 Sunday Lent, C)

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-45), speaks to us of three tombs, the tombs of Lazarus, Jesus, and our own. This story shows up the compassion Jesus has for those who mourn and the life Jesus gives us, now and for eternity.

Is our faith blind?

The Gospel this Sunday (Jn 9:1-41) tells the story of Jesus giving sight to the blind man. It is rich in symbolism. The Gospel teaches us how Jesus is the light of the world. Just as the pillar of fire led the people of Israel through the wilderness, so Jesus is the light that guides us. Further, the Gospel challenges us to consider how we respond to Jesus, the light of the world. Do we reject Jesus as his opponents did? Are we hesitant in our faith like the parents of the blind man? Or, do we allow Jesus to deepen our faith as the blind man did?

Homily for 4 Sunday Lent, year A

Water and the Spirit in Samaria

Water is a basic human need. When we lack water, we can experience a thirst that can be painful at times. In Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:5-42), the image of thirst is used to explain how we all have deeper longings in our heart that Christ satisfies with His gift of the living water.

Mini-transfigurations

Just before His journey to Calvary, the Transfiguration of Jesus gave hope to his followers by giving them a preview to the end of Christ's story: the Resurrection (Mt 17:1-9). In our lives, God gives us mini-transfiguration moments which give us hope in the midst of our challenges

Sirens, Orpheus, Temptations, and Christ

1 Sunday Lent, Matthew 4:1-11

Similar to how the song of Orpheus conquered the Siren's song, so Christ points us towards our true good and away from temptations which can never fulfil us.

Ash Wednesday -understanding the assignment

"Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return". "Repent and believe in the Gospel". The two invocations we use while imposing ashes remind us that God has given us an assignment - to follow the Gospel - and that this assignment has a due date.

Frenemies

When we think of someone who we may consider an enemy, Jesus teaching to love that person can seem impossible (Mt 5:38-48). Part of the problem can be that we misunderstand what Jesus means by "love". Ultimately Jesus teaches us that non-violent resistance and forgiveness is the path that brings lasting peace.

Does Jesus make our lives more difficult?

In the Gospel this Sunday (Matthew 5:17-37), Jesus tells us that He came to fulfill and not abolish the Law or the prophets. What does this mean? From the examples Jesus gives, we learn that He emphasizes our interior motivations for following the commandments. Jesus wants us to follow the commandments of course, but our living relationship with God is what is most important. As Benedict XVI wrote in Deus Caritas Est,

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

This little light of mine

In the Gospel today Jesus (Mt 5:13-16), Jesus teaches us a lesson we all probably learned in Kindergarten: we are called to transform those around us by being salt and light. We do this by letting the light of Christ, which we received at our baptism, shine through us to those around us.