Pilgrim Priest

On the way into the desert, the nation of Israel stops for a mountain-top experience. Jesus gives his three closest disciples a mountain-top experience. When did Jesus become real for you? Save your mountain-top moments and keep going back to them.

We do not conquer sin and death by figuring out the techniques that Jesus used. Instead, we conquer sin and death by joining Jesus in HIS victory over sin and death. Guard your mind, words, and actions this Lent, because your identity is at stake.

Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were half-hearted Catholics. Then an angel appeared to them to prepare them for Mary's visit. She told them they needed to pray and do penance for the conversion of sinners. They began to pray, and give alms.

The rules are good, but following them is not enough. Our hearts must be transformed. Let us say YES to the Holy Spirit and his truth and goodness. Let us say NO to the little lies we believe and even the small ways we don't fully love.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were able to receive one another as a gift. But sin traps us all in patterns of using and being used. This leads to rivalries, jealousies, and divisions. How can we learn to give ourselves completely to one another?

Confirmation: anointing with gladness, clothing with light, a cloak of salvation, a spiritual gift, the sanctification of souls and bodies, the indelible seal, a buckler of faith, and a fearsome helmet against all the works of the adversary.

The Devil attacks your value because love of God and love of neighbor flow from the same unlikely source: loving yourself! Repeat after me: "It is good that I exist." Now turn to your neighbor and tell them, "It is good that you exist."

Herod needs to be the star, and he will eliminate any competition. The Wise Men have wound the true Star. They also teach us that we have a gift to give. Every Sunday at Mass, we present our gifts to our King, our God, the healer of our ills.

God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. (Sirach 3:2) As our new year begins, let us learn to exercise the authority we have in Christ, while we also live within the protection of Mary's authority.

Herod has all the king's horses and all the king's men. Joseph has a donkey. Yet Joseph manages to beat Herod the Great. He does not rely on his own strength, wisdom, or abilities, but on God. Joseph is a great father because he is a great son!

Many of us will leave Jesus at church and not take him home with us because he doesn't fit our expectations or our lifestyle choices. But only this gift can save you. Jimmy finds out the hard way what a good gift really looks like.

King Ahaz faces a complicated and difficult political situation. He doesn't need a plan, strategy, or powerful allies because God is with him. The answer to your prayers is not a gift tucked under a Christmas tree; it is Jesus himself, God-with-us.

We can get discouraged when God doesn't act promptly. We might think that God isn't listening or doesn't care. We need to wait in joyful hope for God to act. Our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us that when God acts, it will be worth the wait.

Thanks to original sin, every child is perfect and precious and also rather annoying. And we make things worse with our sinful choices. So when God wanted to send the most perfect gift, he made Mary precious and beautiful and without original sin.

Winter was coming, but were you prepared? Advent was coming, were you ready? Jesus is coming; are you prepared to meet him? Before bedtime, take three simple steps: Gratitude, Contrition, and Resolution.

Jesus is king now, despite the fact that earthly kings, presidents, and CEOs currently appear to have much more power than Jesus. God has picked the eternal king. Decide now to live in his kingdom.

These beautiful buildings dedicated to the worship of God speak to us of our true dignity and vocation. Every Christian is consecrated to the Lord. The church is holy so we can be holy. We should be no less holy than our local Catholic Church!

Baptism starts our journey to God's kingdom. We then spend the rest of our life preparing for our funeral. On the last day, at his Second Coming, Jesus will raise the dead and put Heaven and Earth together again. It's coming quicker than you think.

Holiness is not fundamentally the fruit of hard work. It is a gift from God. In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us a description of his own face. This is what we look like when we become holy. Let us hasten towards our heavenly Jerusalem!

When you change your own life, you have changed the world! Persistent prayer helps us to grow closer to God in any circumstance. "Lord, show me how you are inviting me to grow closer to you through my Time, Talent and Treasure commitments in 2026."

Naaman encounters love and truth through his obedience to God's will, and experiences wholeness and communion. Being obedient to God leads to healing. Even the sufferings, burdens, and challenges that we face are really gifts from God.

Maybe this title is a little bit of click-bait. But if I told you I was talking about Stewardship and serving God in little ways, you wouldn't have clicked on it. You decide if it was worth listening.

Do we see the world through a lens of competition or cooperation? Jesus has a message for us and our leaders: The winners of today will be the losers of tomorrow, and the losers of today will be the winners of tomorrow.

Anti-venom comes from animals who were poisoned intentionally and survived. Jesus suffers with you and for you. He is the anti-venom. When you suffer, look at the cross!

Marriage only works when both spouses are willing to go "all-in". In a similar way, many of us are trying to follow Jesus as if discipleship were a side-job. When we are willing to go "all-in" as disciples then everything else falls into place.