The Extra Meisl

We are an Easter People

At the Easter Vigil we renew our baptismal call to be an Easter people, a people full of joy. Knowing the end of our story - the resurrection - helps us to live with hope.

Palm Sunday: Fairweather Fans

The readings from Palm Sunday show us two responses to Jesus. On the one hand, many who acclaim Jesus as Messiah when he enters Jerusalem later call for His death. They are fairweather fans. On the other hand, others show incredible fidelity to Jesus throughout His Passion. During Holy Week, we pray to follow the example of this group.

Tragedy and Perspective (3rd Sunday Lent, year C)

When tragedies strike we are reminded of the shortness of life and the need to live well. In the Gospel today, Jesus references two contemporary tragedies from His time. These tragedies teach us that we will not live forever and so we should be sure to live a good life that has eternal significance.

Meeting Jesus in his distressing disguise

First Sunday of Advent

Advent teaches us to be ready for the arrival of Jesus, not just at the end of time, but in the various ways that Jesus enters our life each and every day.

 

An unexpected King

The Solemnity of Christ the King reminds us that central to Jesus' mission was establishing the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus is a king unlike any other, so the kingdom of God is unlike any kingdom the world has ever seen.

A different kind of Apocalypse

Apocalyptic literature in the Bible, like we read about during today's Mass , is meant to inspire hope in a community that is suffering.

33 Sunday Ordinary Time year B

What does it mean to be great?

In the Gospel today (Mark 12:38-44), Jesus challenges us to consider who is truly great. It is not the rich, powerful or wealthy who are great. Rather, those who are generous and self-sacrificial are the ones who are truly great in God's eyes.

Service and the Synodal Way (29 Sunday Ordinary Time)

Jesus shows us that leaders must serve (Mark 10:35-45). This has major implications for the way that the Church exists. The Synodal process, recently inaugurated by Pope Francis, is meant to shape the Church so that it is marked by service and collaboration between all the baptized.

Law of the Gift

A paradox at the heart of Christianity is this: we find fulfillment for ourselves when we make ourselves a gift to others. This truth, which St. John Paul II called "the law of the gift", is at the heart of today's Gospel (Mark 9:30-37).

Does it matter what Jesus looked like?

The Gospel reading for today, Mark 8:27-35 (24 Sunday of Ordinary Time, year B), discusses the identity of Jesus. The image we have of Jesus matters because it determines how we live our life as Christians. We hear in the Gospel that Peter gets some aspects of Jesus' identity correct but is very wrong when it comes to some fundamentals of who Jesus is.