Pilgrim Priest

Ordinary Time, 27th Sunday (A) God gave us the Garden of Eden, but we didn't take good care of it. We lost paradise and had to scrape a life out of the wilderness. God plants a vineyard. He transplants the Hebrews from Egypt to Palestine. But the people act like they own the place and they bear rotten fruit. God sends his prophets, but they kill and stone them. God sends his Son, and they kill him...

Ordinary Time, 26th Sunday (A) We get ourselves into the most trouble when we think we have all the answers. Basic training is all about proving how little the new recruits know so they will be open to learning how to be a good soldier. The last thing you need is 18 year olds thinking they know everything in situations where they can kill themselves or others. Jesus tells a parable to people who t...

Ordinary Time, 25th Sunday (A) A parable about a landowner with a vineyard should make us think of God, the Garden of Eden, and the people of Israel. If God is the landowner, then who are the workers? That's us. The story contains several surprises. First, the master keeps welcoming new workers. Other landowners hire their workers right away in the morning. This Master always has room for more peo...

Ordinary Time, 25th Sunday (A) A parable about a landowner with a vineyard should make us think of God, the Garden of Eden, and the people of Israel. If God is the landowner, then who are the workers? That's us. The story contains several surprises. First, the master keeps welcoming new workers. Other landowners hire their workers right away in the morning. This Master always has room for more peo...

Ordinary Time, 23rd Sunday (A) If God is our Father, then what does that make us? We and our fellow Christians are brothers and sisters. In Matthew 18 , Jesus talks about what it means to be a child of God and how we should treat our brothers and sisters. Here's a brief summary: Matthew 18:3 - You need to humble yourself like a little child. Matthew 18:6 - Don't cause a brother to sin. Matthew 18:...

Ordinary Time, 21st Sunday (A) CESAREA PHILIPPI - Jesus of Nazareth today revealed the blueprints of a brand new building project. Jesus first affirmed his true identity as "the Christ" and the "Son of God." He then shocked his followers by choosing Simon the fisherman to be the foundation of his new church. In an apparent rebranding, Simon's name was changed to "Rocky." "I give you the keys of th...

What is a pilgrimage? It is a journey to a holy place. Native American peoples have sacred places. Hindus, Buddhists, and Shinto have shrines and holy sites. The Exodus out of Egypt was a kind of pilgrimage. Jews would make a pilgrimage once or even three times a year to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship God on his Holy Mountain. The call to follow Jesus is a call to pilgrimage. If you've seen Th...

Ordinary Time, 18th Sunday (A) Romans 8:35 is a great passage to memorize. St. Paul has experienced all kinds of anguish and distress but the love of God has conquered it. The Romans will need to believe in God's love to survive the coming persecution. Isaiah 5 is about how the people trusted in themselves and bore rotten fruit. Isaiah 55 shows that God will restore and renew the people once they...

Ordinary Time, 16th Sunday (A) You come to Mass most Sundays, and even Holy Days of Obligation. You try not to swear or drink too much or gossip. You are learning to pray and you want to follow Jesus as faithfully as you can. Meanwhile you know many people--friends, coworkers, your children, siblings, even a spouse--who don't seem to care. They spend every Sunday working, sleeping, or doing basica...

Ordinary Time, 15th Sunday (A) When scripture talks about a gardener, a vineyard owner, or a sower, we are meant to think of God. God "gardened" the world into existence by speaking his word. The world simply receives God's word and does what he says.  Human hearts are more complicated. Matthew chapter 12 shows much opposition to Jesus's word. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus changes his preaching sty...

Ordinary Time, 13th Sunday (A) God sees us and he rewards hospitality. A woman of influence feeds and houses Elisha. He wants to reward her, so he promises her a son. God sees the desire of her heart even though she refuses to acknowledge it. He gives her the gift she doesn't even dare to dream about. Then he takes the boy away from her; then he gives him back to her. Is God being cruel? God knows...

Ordinary Time, 12th Sunday (A) You spend a couple hours playing in the basement building the world's most amazing marble track. Then along comes your brother... and maliciously smashes everything! How do you respond? You might yell, cry, call him names, go smash something of his... or you might go tell Mom everything. This Mom has the time to listen and she really understands. And she assures you...

Ordinary Time, 11th Sunday (A) The Israelites leave Egypt, cross the Red Sea, and spend a year and a half at the foot of Mt. Sinai. It is here that God gives them the Law and they become "The Chosen People." Christians believe that we, too, are the chosen people. But we also believe that we have been given authority and a mission to bring the love and truth of Jesus Christ to all peoples. Every Ch...

Trinity Sunday (A) God is one divine nature but three separate persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father IS self-giving love and when he gives himself away, that gift is the Son. The Son gives himself back to the Father, and their mutual love is the Holy Spirit. The Church believes that every human child is a gift from God. The proper response to the presence of a child is to receive, cher...

Pentecost Sunday (A) God is a community of love. We were made by love and for love; we were created to live in God's community. God's one desire is to draw us into communion with himself. Our sins have made us both unworthy and unable to participate in God's community. So Jesus comes to reconnect us with God. He does this first "in the flesh" by being God and Man. He offers himself as the perfect...

Easter, 6th Sunday (A) The Sunday Lectionary is designed around the idea of promise and fulfillment. In the Gospel, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles shows what happens when the Holy Spirit comes in power. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, "the Paraclete" which means "one who is called alongside of you." The Spirit helps Christians in our needs.  One day at Faith Formation we pla...

Easter, 5th Sunday (A) How can every vocation be special? Each rock that makes up St. Hyacinth Church is a unique shape, size, and color. The whole church is built of unique, unrepeatable stones. Every stone is special! In a similar way, each and every person has a special vocation. These vocations all have something in common. Every Christian shares in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, which means...

Easter, 4th Sunday (A) Happy Good Shepherd Sunday, which could have also been called "Sheep Gate Sunday." Today is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. I think we often associate the word "vocation" with recruiting people to be priests and nuns. But the first vocation, the first "call" we receive, is the call of Baptism. I was recently listening to a podcast on the idea that Judaism is abou...

Easter, 3rd Sunday • The Road to Emmaus is one of my favorite stories. It's possible that a married couple, Cleopas and his wife, are walking together. They are feeling discouraged and have been walking away from the church. Seeing Jesus in the Eucharist causes them to come back to the church. Do you want to see the risen Jesus? Then follow these three steps from today's Gospel: Be really honest w...

Easter, 2nd Sunday (Divine Mercy) This weekend the Diocese of Green Bay made public the new priest assignments. Today I read a letter from the Diocese informing the people of our parishes that our current assistant, Fr. Kamal Gopu, will be leaving us on May 4th. Our new assistant, Fr. Michael Thiel, will be starting on July 1, 2026. The Diocese does not usually tell the story behind the decisions,...

Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord • If Easter Sunday were just a one-day celebration, our current wintry weather would really dampen the celebration. But we began preparing for this celebration 40 days ago with the start of Lent. And Easter Sunday itself is the final day of a three-day journey, beginning with Holy Thursday and continuing on Good Friday. The Shroud of Turin testifies to t...

Good Friday • We experience many different forms of suffering: illness, tragedy, the death of loved ones. But the worst kind of suffering is to have no sense of our purpose. Each one of us is a gift, hand-made by God and given to the world. But the world often does not receive us as a gift. On Good Friday, Jesus is completely and totally rejected. Even though the world rejects him, he knows that h...

Holy Thursday • The Paschal Lamb was a sacrifice and a sacred meal. It's blood saved the Israelites from the Angel of Death. It died for them, so that they could live. Then the people then consumed the sacrifice with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. We give people we love mementos of our love. Jesus reminds us of his love by giving us his very self. Before you consume this meal, ask yourself: "A...

Palm Sunday (A) Today, Jesus looks like a king. He fulfills the prophecy of Zachariah 9:9. Following Jesus, and accepting his kingdom, gives us freedom from all the kingdoms of this world. Even donkeys are marked with a cross! It's easy to follow Jesus when everyone is cheering for him. But will you keep following Jesus when things get hard? If we follow Jesus and accept his kingship, then our liv...

Lent, 5th Sunday (A) It is never too early to plan your funeral! At least write a few things down: what church, what cemetery, what funeral home, what do you want to wear at your funeral? Jesus totally disappoints his friends. They tell him that their brother, his friend, is sick. He totally ghosts them. Jesus doesn't show up until after the funeral is over. When he finally turns up, his friends s...