Pilgrim Priest

First Sunday of Advent (A) A lot of work goes into welcoming guests for a holiday meal. The whole family needs to help clean, tidy, decorate, prepare food, and dress for success. Advent is a time to prepare, and not just for a family visit, but for a visit from the King himself.

How did Jesus come to be king? He and his Father made everything that is. The whole world that surrounds us belongs to God, and he gave it to his Son as a gift. God chose Jesus to be the King.

Why would the King come to see me? Each of us is entirely unique. We tend to see ourselves as an "oops"; we wonder why we exist. You exist because God wanted you to exist! You are like others but different, not because you are worse or better, but because each of us is handmade. You image God in an entirely unique and unrepeatable way. God wants to visit you because YOU are special to him.

No matter where we look or how hard we try, we never seem to find fulfillment. Am I broken somehow? No! You were made by God and for God. Only God can fulfill you. The yearning that you have for peace, for purpose, for true love, to really matter to someone... those yearnings are really a longing for God. He intends to come to you and bring fulfillment. Advent is about realizing that I can't fulfill myself. Only the King can fulfill me. He is coming to visit me, and I must be ready to welcome him.

(27 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: Consider a time recently when you have felt that longing of emptiness or unfulfillment. Pray about that experience.

Oriens started November 27! Join me for a free Virtual Bible Study. Follow this link to sign up and make sure to check the box Oriens Mailing List.

Image©Fr. Joel Sember | Over 10 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal

Solemnity of Christ the King (C)

God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel, but he felt inadequate. First he ran away and hid. Then he tried to make himself look good. God chose David to be the second king of Israel. David also knew he was unworthy but he trusted God to help him.

A recent survey of US Bishops and priests reveals that many priests think their Bishop is more administrator than shepherd. Perhaps many Bishops feel inadequate so they try to make themselves look good. Others, however, see themselves as humble stewards of a gift they don't deserve.

Parents find themselves in a similar situation. Do they run away and hide, try to make themselves look good, or become humble stewards who trust in God's power? We know that no one is more powerful than Jesus. He doesn't run away and hide. He doesn't try to "save himself." He humbly submits to God's holy will. When we feel inadequate or unworthy, we should humbly serve in our King.

(20 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: When or how have you tried to run away and hide or make yourself look good? What would David have done in the same situation?

Oriens starts November 27! Join me for a free Virtual Bible Study. Follow this link to sign up and make sure to check the box Oriens Mailing List.

Image Source | Over 10 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal

Ordinary Time, 33rd Sunday (C) Three little piggies all built homes. But only one home was built to last. God called us into the covenant. He will always be faithful to us. Will we be faithful to Him even when faith us inconvenient or unpopular?

Pottery is thrown and then fired in a kiln. Can we take the heat? A loaf of bread gets kneaded and left to proof. Then it gets punched down and kneaded again. The bread must rise again so it can stand tall in the heat of the oven.

The Thessalonians lived a good Christian life for a little while, but some were now becoming soft. Is your virtue solid? Do trials strengthen your faith or do they cause your faith to fall?

(13 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: In what way did you experience trials this past week? How did you respond to those trials?

Oriens starts November 27! Join me for a free Virtual Bible Study. Follow this link to sign up and make sure to check the box Oriens Mailing List.

Image Source | Over 10 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal

Ordinary Time, 32nd Sunday (C) November is a month dedicated to praying for the dead. Where does praying for the dead come from? Above our world is another dimension or plane of existence, what ancient people called the Spirit World. It is separate from the physical dimension but interacts with us. Modern people have gotten so focused on the physical world that they have lost almost all sense of this other dimension. Ask any group of people, though, and at least half of them can report a spiritual experience, something not explainable only by physical interactions. If does not take faith to believe that at death, people transition from this plane of existence to the spiritual plane. It's simply the most reasonable hypothesis for the available evidence.

It does, however, take faith to believe in the Resurrection of the dead. Where does this belief come from? Jews believed if they were faithful, God would bless them. But they were faithful unto death (see 2 Maccabees 7) and did not see the promised rewards. It must be coming, then, in a kind of second life. They offered sacrifices so the dead who had not been faithful would be forgiven and join in the resurrection (2 Maccabees 12:32-45).

Jesus tells us that he himself is the resurrection, and that he will personally raise the dead (John 5:24-29). He then rose from the dead as proof of his power and to show us our plan for the future. If we have died with Christ, we will also rise with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). That means if we want to experience Easter, we have to join Jesus on Good Friday. We are probably not going to be crucified so how can we die with Christ? Here are three ideas:

1. Embrace your crosses. When we realize what a huge blessing our crosses were, we will wish we had even more of them, and that we had born our crosses with more joy and gratitude.
2. Offer sacrifices. Every Catholic is required to offer some sacrifice on Friday, either giving up meat or alcohol or some other sacrifice. We should fast on Friday and feast on Sunday. Willingly suffer for Jesus, who suffered for you.
3. Die every night and rise in the morning. Before bed, repent of your sins, make an Act of Contrition, and put your life into God's hands. If he gives you another day, rise to new life in Christ.

These are three simple ways to embrace the Paschal mystery every day and every week. If you want to share in the Resurrection, you must also share in the Cross.

(6 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: Read the scripture references quoted above and reflect on what they mean to your every day life. Have you had any "spiritual experiences?" Share in the comments. Poll a group of people about their experiences with the spiritual realm.

Join me for a free Virtual Bible Study live Thursdays at 10 AM Central Time. Follow this link to sign up and make sure to check the box Oriens Mailing List.

Image © Benjamin Sember | Over 10 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal

All Saints • The term "Saint" refers to those who have officially been approved for public veneration by a Vatican process, which is referred to a "canonization." The word "saint" also comes from the French word for holy. It refers to all the "holy ones" who have arrived in heaven with God forever. Even though they are out of sight, we are still connected with them.

Let's try and picture us from the point of view of the saints. They are like the fans in the stadium seats as we fight on the field. They are like older brothers and sisters waiting for their little siblings to be born into eternity.

We were made by Love and for Love. The saints just did what they were made to do; they were the best at loving God and their neighbor. Some were very mean and selfish at first but then they changed. Some changed suddenly and others changed slowly. Eventually they were ready to enter heaven.

There is no bullying, lying, or cheating in heaven. So if you bully, lie, and cheat, you can't get into heaven. Because there is no evil in heaven, we have to be free of evil before you can enter heaven. You have to be a saint to go to heaven! The Holy Spirit helps us become what we were made to be. Just say Yes to God and No to the enemy, and one day some Catholic School student will be dressing like you for All Saints Day!

(1 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: Picture your daily life from the point of view of the saints. Do some worries and troubles look a little smaller? Do some insignificant things suddenly matter more?

Image © PilgrimPriest.us | Over 10 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal

Ordinary Time, 31st Sunday (C) What is the "Day of the Lord" that St. Paul mentions? At his second coming, the angels will blow the trumpets and Jesus will return in power and glory to "judge the living and the dead." Christians look forward to this moment and prepare both our souls and our bodies for eternal life.

At the moment of our death we know the state of our soul. This is known is the particular judgement. Then we have this final moment known as the General Judgement. We will all be gathered before the Jesus' throne: you and me, Pope Francis, President Biden, former president Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, everyone. We will all be judged by Jesus. Why, then, are we so worried about what other people think and so little worried about what Jesus thinks?

Zacchaeus is the least-worthy person in the city of Jericho. He has become wealthy by exploiting others. His wealth does not satisfy him. His heart yearns for something more. By running ahead and climbing a tree he shows an openness in his heart. Jesus invites himself into his home to show that no one is beyond God's mercy. God loves each of us and is looking for this same openness from us. Zaccheaus will trade anything for has friendship with Jesus. What are you holding on to that is keeping you from welcoming Jesus?

Jesus comes to meet us in humble ways and invite us to repent so that we can do well an the final exam. Here are three thoughts on how to prepare:

1. Learn to respect the truth and live in the truth.
2. Treat the poor, needy, and vulnerable with kindness and compassion.
3. Do the best you can and then sit back, relax, and let Jesus take care of everybody else

(30 Oct 2022)

Going Deeper: The month of November is dedicated to praying for the dead. You can receive a plenary indulgence by praying for the dead, under the usual conditions. Go for a walk in the cemetery and pray for the dead.

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Ordinary Time, 30th Sunday (C) St. Paul was a Pharisee. He did all the right things but his heart was not in the right place. Perhaps he would go to the temple and pray, "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector."

Then God opened his eyes to the true state of his soul. He realized he was, "a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man." I imagine that he came to the Temple and prayed, "O God, be merciful to me a sinner." He discovered that Jesus knew all his faults and failings and still wanted a friendship with him.

Paul prayerfully discerned a call to be a missionary. He traveled through Turkey, Greece and Rome inviting others to experience new life in Christ. As his life reached its end he could look back and say, "I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith." His heart has been changed into the heart of a servant, a heart that is humble, grateful, and generous. He is ready to enter God's kingdom.

This weekend is our Stewardship Commitment Sunday. We are asking everyone to turn in a pledge card with one commitment in each of the three areas: Time, Talent, and Treasure. I pause several times to let people fill out their cards. In the end, we need to remember that Stewardship is not fundamentally how much we give. We could fall into the trap of the Pharisee -- doing the right things but for the wrong reason. May this Stewardship Renewal help each of us develop the heart of a servant: a heart that is humble, grateful, and generous.

(24 Oct 2022)

Going Deeper: If you are local to the Antigo area, take a look it the "Called to Serve" Ministry Booklet for 2023. Take time to complete a Commitment Card. We are grateful for the hard work of Shari and the whole team at Catholic Stewardship Consultants.

Ordinary Time, 29th Sunday (C) What good would a cell phone be if it were always stuck on "Airplane Mode"? Cell phones were made to connect to cell towers. They can't really fulfill their purpose without a connection.

You were made to be connected to a higher power. Original sin means that we were born in airplane mode. We are so used to being disconnected that we get uncomfortable when a message comes through from the other side. No wonder we feel lost, anxious, and disconnected.

Our Gospel reading tells us to keep stubbornly asking God until we finally get what we want. I would also say it points to the need to stubbornly stay connected to God. We should use whatever means necessary to get good prayer reception. The "orans" position is kind of like those old "rabbit ear" antennas. As long as Moses gets good reception, the people of Israel keep winning. Do you see how important good reception is? I think it's really important to have a dedicated prayer space where the reception is better. If you already make time for prayer every day, consider signing up for an hour of Adoration once a week.

Each person plays a different role: Joshua fights, Moses prays, and Aaron and Hur support Moses. We are all called to serve the mission but in different ways. Joanna adds a brief reflection about her experience of living Stewardship.

(16 Oct 2022)

Going Deeper: Make a prayer corner in your home. Sign up for an hour a week of Adoration at a local chapel, or prayerfully consider your Stewardship commitment for 2023.

I didn't get a good recording of Kathy's reflection so I share Joanna's with you, instead. If you were giving a 2-5 minute witness talk on Stewardship, what would you say?

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Ordinary Time, 28th Sunday (C) Today we kick off our 2022 Stewardship Renewal. You might think that Stewardship is optional, something for those "involved parishioners" to consider. The fact of the matter is you don't get a choice to be a steward. If you are alive, you are already a steward. What kind of steward will you be: grateful, wise, and generous or grumpy, foolish, and selfish?

This annual Stewardship Renewal is an opportunity to reflect on how we have been responding to the call of stewardship. We find it helpful to reflect on three key areas:

1. Time. Spend at least 1% (15 minutes) of quality time with God each day, and also time with family and friends.
2. Treasure. How much am I giving, as a percent of what I receive? Am I being generous?
3. Talent. A lot of us treat the church like a Wal-Mart. We show up, pay what we want and take Communion. A family is different. A family all pitches in and helps with the chores. If we are going to be a church family and not a Wal-Mart, then everyone needs to be pitching in and helping with a chore around God's house. You don't have to do 14 things. But if you are doing 14 things, you should reflect on whether they are all the right things for you.
   

The point of our Stewardship Renewal is not to get people to give more but to help people be more intentional with their giving. We all need to serve because we are made in the image and likeness of God and God is a servant. Let us be more grateful, wise, and generous stewards.

(9 Oct 2022)

Going Deeper: The Antigo Area Catholic Churches ministry booklet is available online. Flip through the book and prayerfully consider one way God might be calling you to pitch in and help.

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Image Source | Over 10 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal