Pilgrim Priest

Lent, 2nd Sunday (B) There are a number of disturbing passages in the Bible. This might be the most disturbing of all: God commands a father to sacrifice his son. In a kind of reverse psychology, he …

Lent, 1st Sunday (B) Creation reveals a sacred order (hierarchy), with God at the top and human beings above the rest of creation but below God. We are part of a sacred order and we also have a sacre…

Ash Wednesday • Anyone can say, "I love you." How do we know if someone really loves us? Real love is when someone wants what is best for the beloved. And true love is when the lover is willing to pu…

Ordinary Time, 6th Sunday (B) The leper must remove himself from the community in order to save the community. Jesus is the source of healing for the leper, who can go back and be a blessing to his c…

Ordinary Time, 4th Sunday (B) The APA tells us: Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure... Anxiety is not the …

Ordinary Time, 2nd Sunday (B) In today's first reading, Samuel hears a call from God. Perhaps we don't want God to call and interrupt, or perhaps we are trying to discern our vocation and we wonder i…

Epiphany of the Lord (Three Kings Day) On December 29, the Holy Eucharist was stolen from the Most Blessed Sacrament Perpetual Adoration Chapel in Oshkosh, WI. Since Jesus is really present in the Eu…

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God • Today we celebrate a very controversial title of Mary. Two Patriarchs disagreed about whether it was wrong to call Mary the Mother of God. The Council of Ephesu…

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (B) We each image God in our own way. But we also image God when we form a community of persons in the family. When bonds of family love are secure,…

Christmas Day • God created the whole universe. Then God created us in his image and likeness. You might think that between the two, God's goodness would be abundantly obvious. But humans throughout …

Advent, 4th Sunday (B) Fr. Michael's patience helped to heal my wound of abandonment. After I got healing, I was able to be patient with him, too.

We were made by Love and for Love. But we didn't tru…

Advent, 3rd Sunday (B) If we sat down to list all the things that are wrong with the world, we would be here a while. Then we look at Christmas and it makes very little sense. How does one day with f…

Advent, 2nd Sunday (B) Watch out for fake news, and for calumny. Always check the sources! Before sharing information, ask yourself three questions: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it good? 3) Is it useful?

Lie…

Immaculate Conception • Mary was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother. Let us break this dogma down into two pieces. First, where did sin come from? God is a giver. When he made us in his …

Advent, 1st Sunday (B) Last week I spoke about the three questions that will be on your Final Exam. If we are busy doing the things we are supposed to be doing, we have nothing to worry about. But ar…

Christ the King of the Universe (A) It's the end of the world and we all need to pass the final exam. If you have come to church the last three weeks, you now know the test questions.

1. Are you Wise or …

Ordinary Time, 33rd Sunday (A)

In the Parable of the Talents, the master only cares about money. He is thrilled with his servants who have learned to do as he does. The third servant is terrified of …

Ordinary Time, 32nd Sunday (A) The intellect is the faculty of the soul that is attracted to the truth. Everything looks true at first, but only that which as genuinely true will hold up to scrutiny.…

Ordinary Time, 31st Sunday (A) In today's reading, the priests have "...turned aside from the way, and have caused many to falter by your instruction." God says, "I, therefore, have made you contempt…

All Saints Day • St. Philip Neri was called the "Second Apostle of Rome." Most people in Rome in the 1500's were infatuated with worldly pleasures and the pursuit of power, fame, and wealth. They had…