Pilgrim Priest

Ordinary Time, 5th Sunday (A)

I just took my Christmas tree down. I managed to make it last all the way to February 2nd. The Feast of the Presentation commemorates the moment when Mary and Joseph presented the Christ child in the temple. Only Simeon and Anna could see the profound meaning behind this ordinary moment. They see with the eyes of faith and they shine with hearts full of love.

We, too, are called to see with the eyes of faith and to shine with the Light of Christ. We may not feel very bright, but our "Yes" can help others to see more clearly and to shine more brightly.

(5 Feb 2023)

Going Deeper: Reflect on someone you know who sees with faith and shines with love. Consider ways that you can "catch the fire" by being a little more like them.

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Ordinary Time, 4th Sunday (A) Jesus is the new Moses, teaching the new law to the new Israel. He starts his teaching with happiness. What does it take to be happy? The word for "blessed" here in Greek is "makarioi", a happiness that comes from abundance. I look at all the blessings that God has given me and I feel happy; I am makarios.

Paradoxically, the first thing that makes me happy is being "poor in spirit". When I feel like a beggar, I can have confidence that God will fill my neediness with abundant blessing. The experience of hungering, mourning, and being persecuted is not pleasant, but we can be happy because we are confident that God will fill us and comfort us.

The next four beatitudes are things that I can develop: meek, merciful, clean of heart, and peacemakers. They are the fruit of a life lived with Jesus. When we look at Jesus on the cross we realize that the Beatitudes describe Him perfectly. When our life fits the beatitudes, we should rejoice, for we are where we are supposed to be and living the life we were meant to live.

(29 Jan 2023)

Going Deeper: Spend some time pondering the Beatitudes in front of a crucifix. Did I experience a "Beatitude moment" this past week, a moment when one of the Beatitudes described me and my life? How did I respond to that experience?

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Ordinary Time, 3rd Sunday (A) Why did the disciples drop everything to follow Jesus? They were expecting him to be the King, and his kingdom to be a kind of paradise on earth. Instead, Jesus went and got himself killed. Did they really want to follow a crucified Messiah? In the end, almost all of them did follow him to the cross.

We all want to be happy. But we end up looking for happiness like a blind pig rooting for truffles. Happiness seems to always elude us; the things we think will make us happy end up disappointing. Why can't we find the road to happiness? It happens to be the very opposite of what we would choose for ourselves. To find lasting happiness we have to take up our crosses and walk the way of self-giving love.

(22 Jan 2023)

Going Deeper: When did an unwanted sacrifice turn out to be an unexpected blessing for you? How would your life look different it you embraced your crosses instead of trying to run from them?

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Ordinary Time, 2nd Sunday (A) We are familiar with the term, "The Lamb of God," but do we truly know what it means? It means that Jesus is innocent and pure, a perfect sacrifice. Let's talk about sacrifice.

Adam and Eve have two sons (Genesis 4). The older son, Cain, raises crops. The younger son, Abel, tends sheep. They both bring an offering to God from the blessings God has given them. This is the principle of "first fruits." The second reason for sacrifice is atonement for sins. A third reason, found throughout the ancient world but not so much among the Jewish people, is sacrifice to obtain some blessing or favor from the gods.

The Jews had a special sacrifice that was also a sacred meal. It was the annual spring Passover where a lamb was sacrificed and then eaten. Jesus replaces the Passover lamb; he is the one true sacrifice offered once for all. Does this mean we no longer offer sacrifices?

The Christian life will always be lived in the key of sacrifice. Christians are called to unite themselves to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. At Mass we give God the sacrifice of our time and our money. In the bread and wine, you offer yourself to God. God blesses what we give and returns it so much better.

If we hang on to all our blessings, the pile of blessings shrinks. If we give some away or give back, God will bless you with more. Last week I went on a TEC retreat. I didn't really want to be there, but I sacrificed the time and God blessed me abundantly. When we join our lives to Jesus' sacrifice, we become so blessed that others will look at us and say, "Behold the lamb of God!"

(15 Jan 2023)

Going Deeper: I love the way this traditional Morning Offering moves from praised and gratitude to sacrifice ("crosses and contradictions") and a reliance on God's blessings and love. Learn this prayer by heart or write a Morning Offering in your own words.

Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I firmly believe that Thou art here present; I adore Thee with the most profound humility; I praise Thee and give Thee thanks with all my heart for the favors Thou hast bestowed on me. Thy Goodness has brought me safely to the beginning of this day. Behold, O Lord, I offer Thee my whole being and in particular all my thoughts, words, and actions, together with such crosses and contradictions as I may meet with in the course of this day. Give them, O Lord, Thy blessing; may Thy divine Love animate them and may they tend to the greater honor and glory of Thy Sovereign Majesty. Amen.

(from Magnificat, PO Box 834, Yonkers, NY; January, 2023 (Vol 24, No. 11) p. 210)

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Mary, the Mother of God • Today is New Year's Day. It is also the 8th day in the Octave of Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Christmas is too great a feast day to fit into a single day. With Mary we "ponder these things in our hearts." Today we "zoom out" from the Baby Jesus and reflect on the spiritual motherhood of Mary. The Church believes that God has called his mother to be our spiritual mother. She is, in a sense, standing behind our earthly mothers. I encourage you to get to know your spiritual mother.

We also see the spiritual Fatherhood of God in today's reading. First, we see God naming his Son, "God saves." The second thing we notice is that God adopts us as his children. The third thing we see is God blessing his children. This blessing makes perfect sense if you picture yourself holding a little baby. These words are what you might want for that child and what the child might want from you.

In 2023 may you experience the love of Mother Mary and the love of God the Father. May the LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

(1 Jan 2023)

Going Deeper: Consider reading a book about Mary such as A Heart Like Mary by Fr. Edward Looney. Try starting each day by praying (or singing) an Our Father, and ending each day with a Hail Mary or a decade of the Rosary.

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Christmas, Midnight Mass • Shepherds shiver in the cold. Wise men search the night sky for light. A young couple welcomes God's love and brings warmth and light into the world. The shepherds are warmed and the wise men are enlightened. They go home carrying His warmth and light in their hearts and sharing it with all they meet.

We gather to celebrate Christmas in a world that is cold and dark. We need to draw near the stable. We need to let God warm our hearts and enlighten our minds. Then we can sing "Joy to the World" and share his love with all people.

(25 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: Spend some time in front of a nativity scene just basking in the warmth and light of God's love.

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Advent, 4th Sunday (A) When did God first prepare to give us Christmas? Tradition holds that the curse of the serpent in Genesis 3:14-15 is also a prophecy. A descendant of the first woman will one day destroy the power of the Devil.

God then promises King David that one of his descendants will have a kingdom forever. This son of David will also be a son of God (2 Samuel 7:8-17).

Ahaz, a descendant of King David, refuses to ask God for a sign. He is given a sign anyway, the sign of a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:10-14). The Messiah will defeat the Devil, establish a forever kingdom, be the son of God and born of a virgin.

But why does God send us a baby? We ask God for so many gifts, and instead of blessing us with peace or hope or any of those things, he offers us a baby. He wants to be Emmanuel, God with you. We shy away from letting God be with us because we either want to be in control or we are afraid that we are too much of a mess.

Mary and Joseph teach us to respond differently. Mary humbly accepts God's offer of relationship and she lets God take care of the details. One of the details is the fact that Mary happens to be married, and Joseph knows he didn't help make this baby. Joseph stands up and protects Mary and God's child. He is not afraid to take Mary and Jesus into his home.

We often ask for a sign of God's love for us. But we do have a sign: at every Catholic Mass, God becomes Emmanuel in the Eucharist. He is "God with us" in your local parish church. He wants to come live in your heart and in your home. This Christmas, do not be afraid to take Jesus into your home. Welcome a relationship with him, as Mary and Joseph did. Because all he wants for Christmas is you!

(18 Dec 2022) 
 

Going Deeper: It is not fair to receive a gift if you are not willing to also give a gift. You cannot receive the gift of Jesus in Holy Communion unless you are willing to give yourself to him. Prepare yourself to welcome Jesus into your heart and home this Christmas. 
 

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Advent, 3rd Sunday (A) A look around the world tells us that God is both a brilliant engineer and a creative artist. Then we look at ourselves and often see a mess. Did God screw up when he made me? I am unique and that means there is a special place in the universe that only I can fill.

If I fill a spot, then why do I feel empty? We are like kolaches without filling, we are "batteries not included." Only a relationship with God will fulfill us. So why do we keep God at a distance? We might think that I'm not good enough for God. Or we might think that God couldn't possibly be safe or satisfying.

Antigo Area Catholic Churches was featured in America Media's People of God documentary. We don't really want to give God 100%. And consequently, we don't ever really experience the transformative power of the Gospel. We try and fill ourselves but only feel more empty. We need to wait patiently until God comes to meet us and fill us with his love and joy.

Our second reading talks about the farmer being patient between the "early rains" and the "late rains." It gets dry between the rains and we can be tempted to do something to fill the emptiness. Instead, we need to remain patient and trusting. Wait for the Lord to come and fill you with the warmth of his love.

(11 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: When have I experienced the emptiness that only God can fill? How have I tried to fill it myself? What does it feel like to wait for God to come and fill me?

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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception • What can the Immaculate Conception teach us? Mary is first a disciple of Jesus. She listened to Jesus, she followed him to the cross, and she was faithful until the end of her life. She gives us an example of discipleship.

God is our Father, Jesus is our savior, and we are surrounded by spiritual brothers and sisters, the saints. There is one thing missing: a mother. God has chosen Mary not only to be the mother of his son, but also to be the mother of all his children.

Mary is also queen. The Kingdom of Israel had a tradition that the mother of the king was #2 in the kingdom. When Jesus takes the throne as a descendant of David, he follows the tradition of his native people and makes his mother the Queen. Jesus and Mary work together to bring us to the Kingdom.

We only have one Savior, Jesus. He saved Mary and preserved her from all sin for our sake. It is for your sake that Mary was conceived immaculately.

(8 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: Have you experienced how much Mary loves you? Spend some time talking to your Mother today.

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Advent, 2nd Sunday (A) Every person is unique; each of us is handmade. We bear the fingerprints of God and we each reveal the face of God to the world. God made us for himself. We were meant to be filled with the light of Christ and to shine with the light of Christ. The emptiness we feel is not a sign that there is something wrong with us. We have a hard time remaining empty and trusting the Master to fill us and paint us. The emptiness makes us uncomfortable, so we stuff ourselves.

Tradition speaks of three sources of temptation: 1) The world. People around us aren't content to live simple lives. We think that we need to live overstuffed lives, too. 2) The flesh. Being empty is uncomfortable. 3) The Devil. God isn't the only spirit active in the world. The Enemy tricked our first parents into grasping instead of receiving. "The Tinder Swindler", so-called Simon Leviev, promised his victims a great life but just used them for their money. The Enemy does the same thing in reverse. The Lord of the Universe is already in love with us. But the Enemy tells us, "God doesn't care. There's something wrong with you. He won't fulfill you. You need to fill yourself." In doing so, we draw farther away from the true and only source of happiness.

The Enemy knows full well that only God can satisfy us. The harder we try to fill ourselves, the emptier we feel. Advent reminds us that we can't fill ourselves. The One who can fill us is already on his way. Wait for Him.

(4 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: When and how does that feeling of emptiness manifest itself in my life? What are some of the lies I believe that make my try and fill myself? What people, activities, pleasures and things have I tried to use to fill that emptiness?

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