The Epiphany of the Lord • Marco Polo claims to have seen the incorrupt bodies of the three magi. God is directing a great drama and each of us has a special role. Everyone else is fighting to be the star of the show. But we recognize that the true star is Jesus, with Mary as Best Supporting Actress.

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

(4 Jan 2026)

Going Deeper: What kind of gifts do you have to give at Sunday Mass? Read The Incorruptibles by Joan Carroll Cruz.

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Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord) • God is three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is one person with two natures - human and divine. So can we call Mary the Mother of God? Yes, because she is the mother of a person, not a nature.

God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother's authority he confirms over her sons. - Sirach 3:2

A mother has authority over her children. Mary is fully human but she has been given special graces and blessings. She has been given authority as the Mother of God's family. Her authority extends even over the demons. 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.

(1 Jan 2026)

Going Deeper: Listen to Restore the Glory Episode 145: Deliverance and Healing (Part 1) and learn for yourself about Mary's authority over even the demons.

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Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (A) We are each special, hand-made, and unique. When God creates children, he wants them to be welcomed into the world by a family.

Right from the beginning, the family is under attack. Adam doesn't protect the garden. He and Eve disobey God. They begin living lives of isolation, self-protection, and self-reliance.

How does Joseph manage to best Herod? Joseph is a good father to God's son because he is an obedient son of the Father. He does not rely on his own strength, wisdom, or abilities, but on God.

Fathers and mothers are called to be visible signs of God's invisible love. We are all imperfect images of a perfect God. How do our actions contribute to a more or less holy family? Men, let us learn to be obedient sons to our heavenly Father so we can be the best fathers to our earthly families.

(28 Dec 2025)

Going Deeper: Do your rules for your children reflect God's high standards and his unconditional love? What would a man look like if he was striving to be an obedient son of God the Father?

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Christmas Eve • I decorated my tree on Christmas Eve. It was a journey through my life history. As we listen to the genealogy of Jesus, we get a brief summary of the history of the entire Bible. Only one name is repeated. Each person is a unique link on the chain that leads to Jesus. You are precious and unique. God delights in you and rejoices in you.

Not all of us are faithful. In fact, most of us are not faithful some of the time. God was faithful to his side of the covenant even when the ancestors of Jesus were not faithful to their side of the covenant. God sent his Son so that we could be born again.

We don't always get the things we ask for from God. Even when we don't get what we wanted, we always get the gift we needed. Jimmy learned an important lesson when his little brother proved a better gift than a bicycle.

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 those who are willing to take him home will realize that he's exactly what they always needed. Because only this gift can save you.

(24 Dec 2025)

Going Deeper: When did God not answer your prayers with the gift you were hoping for? What did he give you instead of what you asked for?

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Advent, 4th Sunday (A) A young King Ahaz faces a complicated and difficult political situation. He doesn't need a plan, a strategy, or powerful allies because God will be with him. God wants to give him a sign, but he doesn't want a sign. Does he feel ashamed? Is he trying to be the one in control? Is he afraid to trust? Or maybe me thinks he doesn't matter.

Whatever difficult situation, challenge, or darkness you are facing, God is with you. The answer you are looking for is not a present under a tree. God himself is the answer to your prayers. Watch and wait for him.

Jesus's life on earth was itself a sign. He has been guiding the human race with wisdom and love since the beginning, and he will be with us until the end of time. In a similar way, Catholics sometimes think that the Eucharist is the only place we can find God. This is simply not true. God is everywhere. He made everything. The heavens tell his glory and the earth is full of signs of his wisdom, power, and love. But we have become so scientific-minded that we have forgotten how to read the signs all around us. The Eucharist is not the only place when can find Jesus. It is a sign to look for him everywhere.

St. Joseph needs a sign. He is willing to leave Mary and take her shame with him. In Joseph we see true manhood: a willingness to sacrifice for others. He is also a sign of the coming sacrifice that Jesus will offer for me and for you. Joseph welcomes Mary, and Mary brings Christ.

No matter how messy your heart or your home might be, do not be afraid to welcome Mary. She will prepare a place for Emmanuel, God-with-us.

(21 Dec 2025)

Going Deeper: slsl

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Advent, 3rd Sunday (C) For twenty years, Franciscan missionaries labored in Mexico with very little success. Finally, God acted through Mary, and in 10 years, over 8 million Aztecs and Chichimecas became Catholic.

Zachary Feldker served as a missionary to teens through the Spiritus program. He often prayed at Champion Shrine and complained that God wasn't revealing his vocation to him. Finally, Mary spoke in his heart. All that waiting had put him in exactly the right place to answer the call.

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. Trust me, when God acts, it will be worth the wait.

(14 Dec 2025)

Going Deeper: Read the story of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe for yourself. Or read about the scientific study of the Tilma.

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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary • Which Catholic teaching is the most difficult to accept? It's not the Immaculate Conception, the Incarnation, or Transubstantiation. Most people seem to have a really hard time with the idea that every child is a gift from God.

Thanks to original sin, every child is perfect and precious and also rather annoying. And we make things worse when we make our own sinful choices.

So when God wanted to send the most perfect gift, he made Mary not only precious and beautiful and loved, but also without original sin. Mary could spend her whole life being the good and beautiful person she was created to be.

Mary gave God the gift of herself, and God gave her an even more perfect gift: Baby Jesus. By giving his life on the cross, Jesus made it so that each of us can become immaculate, like Mary. Mary reminds us that we are each a gift. She reminds us to treat ourselves as a gift and to treat others as a gift. She also shows us that, by giving ourselves back to God, we can become a more perfect gift.

Going Deeper: Do you agree with Fr. Joel that this teaching is hard to accept? Why or why not?

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Advent, 1st Sunday (A) Winter was coming, but were you prepared? Advent was coming, were you ready? Jesus is coming; are you prepared to meet him?

Some of our Protestant brothers and sisters use today's Gospel to justify "the rapture." But in the days of Noah, the evil people were taken and the good people were left. The rapture is the opposite: the good people are taken and the evil ones are left. The Catholic church does not believe in the rapture. We believe that Jesus will walk with the good people through difficult times. "He who perseveres to the end will be saved."

When Jesus says, "One will be taken and one will be left," I think he means the experience of loosing those who were close to us.

How can we be ready when it's our turn? I recommend the old Catholic practice of seeing every bedtime as a little death. We never know if today is our last day on earth. Before you go to bed, prepare yourself to meet Jesus. Spend some time in gratitude. Where was Jesus present in your day? How did you respond to his presence? Say an Act of Contrition. Then make a resolution for tomorrow.

Winter was coming. Were you prepared? Christmas is coming. Are you prepared? Jesus is coming. Are you ready to meet him?

(30 Nov 2025)

Going Deeper: Before bedtime, make three simple steps: Gratitude, Contrition, and Resolution.

Rest in Peace, Fr. Daren J Zehnle.

Welcome to Season 16 of the Pilgrim Priest Podcast. This season is titled Breath Fire Light.

The new podcast year always starts with the first Sunday of Advent. I try to find a meaningful title for the podcast that reflects what is going on spiritually in my life and in the parishes. This year, the image that came to me was that of a fire that has almost burned itself out. There are just a few coals left flickering.

You breathe on the fire to breath life back into it. Then you add some kindling and keep breathing on it, coaxing it back into life. If you are successful, there is a moment when the kindling bursts into flame. Suddenly you have light!

Our parishes have grown cold and many Catholics are barely smouldering. We need the Holy Spirit to breathe on us and coax us into flame. When we catch fire, then we can start to be a Light to the nations again. Breath. Fire. Light.

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