Today's Gospel Reflection

It's been a really long time since I've done a proper gospel reflection, but here's one for today:

Today's gospel is all about temptation and resisting it. Temptation is everywhere, and it will never ever go away. That's what it is. We can't escape it. It panders to our weaknesses, offering us short-term benefits and deluding us of the long-term consequences. But how then, do we resist it? And the honest answer is that sometimes we can't and we won't, and we will fail. But we can learn from these mistakes and come away stronger and closer to God because of them.


One of the common ways in which we are prone to fall into temptation is by placing our priorities in the wrong places. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we lose sight of what is most important: faith, hope, love. Lent is a time of rebirth and renewal, and a better time than any to realign our lives and make sure we're what we're striving towards is what will actually make us happy and fullfilled.

Another common temptation is by saying that other people's misuse of power and influence is the cause of the evil and injustice in the world. In this case we are thinking far too highly of ourselves. If we could be more honest with ourselves, humbly admitting that our indifference, our greed, our egoism, and our ambivalence, cause just as much as injustice as the wrong-doings of others, than we may be able to, as cliche as this sounds, be the change we wish to see in the world.

It is much easier to always blame others; to see the source of evil as outside of ourselves and cast ourselves as the victims. But this is not the case. We cannot fight other people, we can try, but we cannot change others if we do not first change ourselves. Thinking otherwise is far too short-sighted. Instead we must face evil head-on. Explore it, find it in our own lives, and conquer it.

Gospel Reflection

In this week’s gospel, John the Baptist gets us excited for the coming of the Christ. He not only tells us to prepare ourselves for His coming, but gives us specific examples on how to do so. He emphasizes the fact that God will never ask more from us than we have the capability to give.

The first example of how we can live our lives better is by giving of what we have and sharing with those less fortunate than us. As I look around the chapel today and see the plethora of gifts we as Marist students have bought and wrapped my heart is filled with joy. It is not always easy to find the time and money to shop for others—especially those we do no know personally, but God calls to us to give from the heart not only this holiday season, but at all times.

John the Baptist tells the tax collectors to “collect no more than is appointed to you.” At first glance, this advice may seem irrelevant to us, but if we look to the deeper Meaning, there is a lesson there for all of us. John is simply telling us to not accept more than we are owed — this could be in terms of money for a service, gratitude for an action, or credit for a project. It is about being honest with both yourself and everyone around you. Don’t ask for more than you deserve, and don’t take from others what they cannot afford to give.

The third way in which today’s reading asks us to prepare ourselves, is one that should be obvious to all of us, and yet one that is probably one of the hardest to adhere to — stay away from violence and create peace. While we may not be violent creatures by nature, it is so easy to lash out and hurt others not only physically, but emotionally through our words and actions.

If only we could all remember that everyone is our brother or sister and that everyone is created in the likeness of God.

Today's gospel reflection

Before I post today's gospel reflection, I would like to appologize for being so crappy at putting up new posts this semester. It's not that I don't have anything to say either! - It just hasn't been happening. But anyways, without further ado, your weekly-ish gospel reflection:

Today’s gospel reading is one we have all heard many times before. However, there are many small lessons to be gleaned from it.

The first is one that can easily be missed – blame. Pilot, like us on many occasions is immediately uncomfortable when Jesus asks him if there are his accusations or not. Pilot passes the blame on to others instead of taking his own stand. It was not Pilot’s idea to hand Jesus over, but by refusing to take responsibility or to step in and put a stop to it, he became a central character in the story. From this we should realize how essential it is to not only stand up for what we believe in, but to question the motives of those who are acting immorally.

The second thing Jesus expresses in this very short reading is the awesome strength of heaven. He alludes to the great power of the angels. From this we are reminded of the almighty influence and power of God. It should be comforting to know that someone with such authority is watching us with careful eyes and a loving hand.

The third aspect of today’s gospel is Jesus’ mission. He acknowledges that the reason for his human birth is to save humanity from itself saying “for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world”. He shies away from the word king; this is not a title the humble Jesus would bestow upon himself. God sent us his only Son so that we can be the great people He wants us to be and capitalize on our capacity for good by following in Jesus’ example.

This example is our guideline for life. In today’s gospel reading Jesus tells us one very important way to become closer to him stating, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice”. Telling the truth is a basic, yet incredibly difficult, part of our role as good Catholics. Many times it is easier to tell small lies, more rewarding to exaggerate, or less trouble for us to omit the truth . But if we remember that these false truths turn us away from God’s voice, then we realize it is much better to suffer the consequences of the truth in life than to suffer the consequences of deceit in death.

Gospel Reflection for Sunday, November 8, 2009

In today’s Gospel reading we see how understanding our God really is. He does not ask us to give more than is possible for us (although sometimes we may feel like He is); He merely asks that we do what we can. Whether it is a gift of time, talent, or money, God is satisfied as long as it is given from the heart and with the right intentions.

While many of us may judge each other based on financial success, it is comforting to know that our Father in heaven only judges on the contents of our hearts. If all we have to offer is a smile to a friend, a helping hand to a stranger, or a simple song of thanks, than God accepts these graciously.

Maybe we should follow in this example. Instead of scoffing the next time we see someone not give as much as we did in terms of time, effort or even money, we should strive to see their contribution from their perspective—it is impossible for us to know the stories of those around us and the inner battles they may be fighting.

So when your classmate does not put the same time commitment into the project as
you, or your housemate fails to chip in to cover the cost of the weekend’s expenditures, instead of writing this person off, try and dig deep within yourself and really do what Jesus would do: don’t judge on face value, but take the time to appreciate that you are lucky to be able to give what you can.

And the one thing all of us can give, no matter our economical, scholastic, or physical situation is love. And that, as we can deduce from the commandments and Jesus’ teachings, is a gift that God treasures above all other gifts. So give love often. Give it freely. And give it to everyone you meet. Not only does doing God’s work on earth pay off now in unexpected ways, His retirement plan is awesome

Gospel Reflection

In the second half of today’s gospel reading Jesus rebukes His disciples for hindering the children from coming to Him. We are all children of God—what is it that stands in our way and causes us to stray?

Today’s reading clearly demonstrates God’s love for all of us as He reiterates how much He wants to see us, wants to help us, wants to just be there for us in any way. It is our own shortcomings that prevent us from feeling Him at our sides at every moment.

So I challenge you all to look inside yourselves and find exactly what it is that is keeping you from running into God’s outstretched arms and confiding wholly in Him.

Discard your distractions, your feelings of inadequacy, even those people and events that deter you from seeking out God’s presence in every day life. Trust Him. Trust yourself. Allow yourself to accept the endless blessings.

gospel reflection

Today's gospel reading gives us the seemingly simple message: love. It is only through loving others that you will ever know God. I see two ways in which to interpret this statement.

One, "know God" as in understanding the essence of Him. By loving others we will create a world of happiness, joy, and peace for ourselves, which is the same world God creates. Therefore, by loving others, we will have a glimpse of God's love for the world and thereby also know God more through the simple fact of understanding and experiencing Him.

Two, loving others is our ticket into heaven. Therefore, if we would ever like to see heaven and meet God, we need to love. It is strange to think of God as an individual, but if you can imagine it with me for a moment, love is our invitation to God's party (heaven) where we get to meet with Him personally.

Both interpretations, and I'm sure many others, are correct in the simple fact that they are not incorrect. However, it leaves us with a difficult task: love. What does it mean to truly love others? First off, it means not to hate. We can't be jealous of others, or feel egotistically better than others, or, in a perfect definition of love, angered and annoyed by others.

But the world is not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise (sorry, song reference). It's about giving compassion when you can, sharing what you have, accepting everyone for the way they are even when you don't understand why they are that way, lending a helping hand to those in need even when you get nothing in return, and giving the utmost respect to everyone equally.

Love is about the simple choices: a smile, a nod, waiting patiently, taking a few minutes to read your younger sibling a bed time story, letting someone else ride shotgun without complaint, offering to do the dishes, hugs, picking flowers for someone. Basically, anything that brings a small bit of joy of tiny piece of heaven into another's life, is love.

Gospel Reflection ... 1 day late

At first hearing, I have to be honest and admit that I thought today's gospel reading to be boring. Not that it isn't well-written and meaningful, but just that the idea that God loves us seems so basic.

Upon further reflection though I relalized that my attitude is exactly the point of the reading. God loves us more than anything; He sacrificed His only son for us! And yet, here I sit, completely unimpressed by his compassion and unrelenting devotion towards me.

And what have I done to deserve this undying love? I was born; I exist; I like to think that I am a good wholesome person for the most part; but what have I done to deserve the unconditional love that the almighty Father not only offers me, but bestows upon me even when I am not expecting or especially deserving of it?

As I look around me I can see all the small wonders God has made, simply for my enjoyment because he loves me. Every smiling face, every tiny child's hand, each blooming flower, each melodious note, every seemingly insignificant moment of everyday that manages to put a smile on my face or lift my spirits is a gift from God because he really truly loves me and wants to make my life good.

That's incredible.

I should be more thankful.

Thanks God. I love You too.

Gospel Reflection

In this week’s gospel reading, Jesus challenges us to forget about the things of this life and worry about the more important things, such as our immortal souls, getting into heaven, and being faithful to the commandments. In our fast-paced and materialistic society, it is often hard to turn away from the newest electronic device and choose simplicity instead.

We, as college students in America, are surrounded by video games, movies, television, loud music, expensive accessories, and excess food. We do not like the prospect of having to give any of this up. When Jesus asks us to make our lives simpler, we automatically think of making our lives more difficult or more boring and we recoil from this idea. However, this is not the case.

In my opinion, He is merely imploring us to recognize them as the material goods they are and to not give them more thought and time than they deserve. He is not banning material items, but reminding us that there are much more important matters to spend time on.

Instead of spending your entire weekend lounging around, watching TV, playing video games, and going out to dinner, why not take 20 minutes each day for yourself as a time of inner reflection?

Go for a walk, read a book, or close yourself in your room and meditate while listening to music; take an opportunity to welcome God back into your life on weekly, if not daily, basis.

Jesus does not expect us to completely turn away from all modern conveniences, He just asks us to not become consumed by them. He asks us to make time for Him in a society that no longer has time for afternoon tea and long walks. He asks us to never be embarrassed of our faith in a society that is increasing placing more pressure on those who are religious. He asks us to keep room in our lives for the things of God, even when the world is overwhelming consumed with the things of men.