Pilgrim Priest

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (Year A) • Palm Sunday: Our peaceful King lays down His life for us. Instead of branches and cloaks we should lay down our lives for Him.

Passion Reading: The church won’t let us celebrate the joy of Palm Sunday without the sadness of the Passion reading. Holy Mother Church wants us to see that we cannot separate Jesus the King from Jesus the Crucified. We can only come to the triumph of the Resurrection if we are willing to endure the defeat of the Crucifixion. Everyone wants to celebrate Easter, but how many are willing to celebrate Good Friday?

(9 Apr 2017)

Point to Ponder: How have you experienced the Paschal Mystery (a death that leads to new life) in your own life?

Point to Discuss: Talk to a friend about a particularly special or moving experience of Holy Week in your past.

Point for Action: Make plans to truly participate in the death of Jesus this Holy Week.

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A) • Jesus shows up too late. But it’s never too late for Jesus. The whole world will know that Jesus is Lord when he returns on the last day and call us each by name, “Tommy, come out!” Christian funerals are all about looking forward to the Resurrection and preparing our loved ones to rise again. This is why we don’t scatter the ashes or turn them into jewelry. We bury our loved ones, mark them with a cross, and pray for their resurrection.

We don’t have to wait until the end to experience the power of the Resurrection. Show Jesus where you are struggling, roll away the stone, and let Jesus in. The Kingdom that’s coming is already here.

(2 Apr 2017)

Point to Ponder: Reflect on how Lent has been going. What has God been showing you or teaching you this Lent?

Point to Discuss: Have you ever seen pictures of the Second Coming of Christ? Talk to a friend about what you know about Jesus’ return in glory.

Third Sunday of Lent (Year A) • Jesus comes into our daily life and invites us, “Come to Me. I am the life you are looking for.” Only when we find God do we find True Love. We can also read this passage in another way. Through the eyes of the lonely Jesus says, “Give me a drink.”

(19 Mar 2017)

Point to Ponder: Listen to No Visitors, Chapter 16 in Resisting Happiness.

Point to Discuss: When has Jesus satisfied your thirst? How has Jesus asked you for a drink?

Point for Action: Visit someone who doesn’t get many visitors.

Second Sunday of Lent • God gave his people the path through Moses. Through Elijah and the prophets God kept them on the path. This path leads to Jesus. Now we only need one booth because all you need is Jesus. Do you really believe that? Then start spending 10 minutes a day in prayer. Listen to Him and you will be transfigured.

(12 Mar 2017)

Point to Ponder: I totally forgot to mention that in chapter 7 of Resisting Happiness, Matthew Kelly tells his story about learning to pray for 10 minutes a day. It totally changed his life. We often complain that we don’t hear God’s voice. But if we looked at our day we would see that we turn on the TV first thing in the morning, read the paper while drinking our coffee, rush off to work, get distracted by a million things, watch TV at night, and finally turn to God in the last 2 1/2 minutes before drifting off to sleep. Is God not talking, or are we not listening?

Point to Discuss: Talk to a friend about that idea that Jesus is enough. What does it mean to you? Do you believe it?

Point for Action: Start a habit of prayer with 10 minutes each day. Begin today.

First Sunday of Lent (Year A) • When we try to make a positive step in our lives, we can expect temptation. How can we resist it? Adam and Eve rely on themselves. Even Jesus is not strong enough to resist temptation. He wins because he turns to God every time. Temptation is coming for you this Lent. Where will you turn?

(5 Mar 2017)

Point to Ponder: Do you tell others about your sacrifices for Lent? Why or Why Not?

Point to Discuss: What would you have done if you had been the announcers for the Best Picture Oscar?

Ash Wednesday • Lent is about realizing we don’t need stuff as much as we think. But we can do more than just give something up. When we offer it up we are saying, “I’m doing this for You, God. I love you more than sweets.” Our sacrifice can be a gift of love to the God who loves us.

(1 Mar 2017)

Point to Ponder: Pray with a crucifix this Lent. What do you see?

Point to Discuss: Share with someone what you are giving up this Lent. Talk to them about what it means to “offer it up” to God instead of just giving it up.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time • Jesus reminds us that we are God’s children. Today we are reminded that God is a good father, not an overbearing father nor an absent father. Why do we miss the providence of God? When we get focused on immediate needs, we lose sight of God’s presence in our lives. Keep your eyes on your Father and the other stuff will fall into place.

(26 Feb 2017)

Point to Ponder: Chris Tomlin, Good Good Father

Point to Discuss: Get your hands on a copy of Resisting Happiness and read along with me this Lent. Give a copy to a friend and lets start a discussion group.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) • God wants his people to be set apart by their unconditional love for others. Even when people hurt us and cheat us, we must not reflect their evil back to them. We stand up for our dignity in a way that is loving and respectful even to our enemies.

Why is this so hard? We can only love our enemies if we already love ourselves. Too often we are looking to others for our value when we should be looking to God. We cannot choose how others will treat us, but we can choose how we respond. And we can respond with love when we know how much God loves us.

(19 Feb 2017)

Point to Ponder: Have you ever had to stand up for your own rights, in a way that was polite, respectful, and loving? Have you had to stand up for the rights of others?

Point to Discuss: Talk to a friend about a time they felt insulted and humiliated. How could they have “turned the other cheek” in the way that Jesus means this phrase?

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) • Good and evil are something more than my personal preferences. We know this, and yet we cannot seem to do good and avoid evil. God wants us to be perfect so He gives us the heart of Jesus. By our own power we cannot fulfill these commandments. But Jesus can. And he lives in you.

(12 Feb 2017)

Point to Ponder: How does sin act like an infection? Is it contagious? Have you ever given in to sin and then watched the infection start to take over?

Point to Discuss: Have you ever turned to Jesus when things seemed impossible? Encourage a friend who is struggling right now.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) • Our Faith often gets treated like fine china: an heirloom from the past you take out for special occasions. But faith is more like heirloom tomatoes. You inherit the seeds but you must water them. If you care for your faith, it will give off many seeds for others. Faith is meant to be shared.

(5 Feb 2017)

Consider a Gift to this year’s Bishop’s Appeal: http://CatholicFoundationGB.org/give