Pilgrim Priest

Easter Sunday • We have three reasons to be happy for Easter. The first reason is what we move from fasting to feasting. Happy "feaster" everybody! The second reason is that we can dress up nicely an…

Good Friday • Our own Good Friday experiences can cause us to doubt that God is a good father. The Passion reading is full of people acting out of self-protection and self-reliance. Jesus, on the oth…

Holy Thursday • God is with us! He is with us in the happy Christmas times, the intimate Holy Thursday moments, and our tragic Good Fridays. No matter how much we run from him, abandon him, or choose…

Palm Sunday (C) Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, also known as "Passion Sunday." First we read Luke's account of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then we read this same Gospel's account of t…

Lent, 5th Sunday (C) The Pharisees have set a trap for Jesus. They can accuse him either of breaking Roman law or of breaking Mosaic law. Jesus cleverly escapes their trap by stating, “Let the one am…

Lent, 4th Sunday (C) We are not expecting the father to welcome his prodigal son home again. We can all be like the prodigal son sometimes. We waste the father's gifts on ourselves and our pleasures,…

Lent, 3rd Sunday (C) Moses is rescued from death by a mini-ark and is adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. When he witnesses injustice, he first tries to dominate and control, then he runs and hides. God m…

Lent, 2nd Sunday (C) You shouldn't start a journey if you don't know what the destination is. Lent is a journey and today we are shown the destination. Where are we going? First, we are headed to Eas…

Lent, 1st Sunday (C) On May 10, 1940, the Nazi German Army invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. By May 21, German forces had trapped the British, Belgian, and French field armies along the n…

Ordinary Time, 8th Sunday (C) Imagine looking back on your Lent from the perspective of Easter. Is it easier to give up candy now if you remember that Easter candy is coming? In a similar way, how wi…

Ordinary Time, 6th Sunday (C) Today we hear an excerpt from the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49). Jesus admonishes us to "love your enemies" and "do good to those who hate you." At first glance, th…

Ordinary Time, 5th Sunday (C) Peter looks good on the surface; he has a good life and a successful career and he's not interested in what Jesus is offering. But underneath, Peter is not so good. He f…

Candlemas (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord) • Today we celebrate Candlemas, the final feast day of the Christmas season. Mary received God's gift, helped to grow this gift, and now gives him ba…

Ordinary Time, 3rd Sunday (C) In addition to a sabbath day, Jewish law also prescribed a Sabbatical Year. Every seventh year, the land was to be left fallow and debts would be forgiven. After seven s…

Ordinary Time, 2nd Sunday (C) The Holy Spirit gives us many gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, varieties of tongues, interpretation of …

Feast of Epiphany • The Feast of Epiphany is older than Christmas. Early Christians celebrated January 6th as three feasts in one: the visit of the magi, the Baptism of the Lord, and the miracle of w…

Christmas, Holy Family (C) The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that Jesus comes not only to restore us as as individuals, but also to heal our family. The four fundamental identities help to reve…

Christmas Eve • There was a time when your ancestors did not celebrate Christmas. Then one day, missionaries came to bring the good news of Jesus Christ. This was their message, "Your Father loves yo…

Advent, 4th Sunday (C) Imagine for a moment that you attended a school Christmas program but no one was listening to the director. Everyone was singing their own songs and trying to do their own thin…

Advent, 3rd Sunday (C) The monastery cloister teaches us to keep part of our hearts closed to the world and open to heaven. The ancient and medieval world was familiar with the example of the wheel o…