Shows / Pilgrim Priest
Pilgrim Priest
Have you thought sermons were boring? Think again as Fr. Joel unpacks the word of God for today's audience. Fresh, local, and live takes on the Gospel for our world. A new homily every Sunday.
Episodes
Pilgrim PriestJesus the Good Samaritan, According to Bishop Barron | #1534
Ordinary Time, 15th Sunday (C) I was away on a Steubenville youth conference. I had the privilege of listening to Bishop Barron preach on how Jesus is like the…
Pilgrim PriestSent as Missionaries Two-by-Two | #1533
Ordinary Time, 14th Sunday (C) The Jews think that Jerusalem is invincible because they are the Chosen People and they have the Temple. But they fail to obey…
Pilgrim PriestA Homily 18 Years in the Making | #1532
June 30, 2025 • Today I celebrate the eighteenth anniversary of my ordination as a Catholic priest. Babies born the year I was ordained a priest are now…
Pilgrim PriestThe Vulnerability of God | #1531
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (C) We cannot have deep, meaningful relationships with other people unless we are willing to be…
Pilgrim PriestMind, Body, Spirit | #1530
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (C) The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. There are not three gods, but one God. We call this…
Pilgrim PriestEvery Member a Missionary | #1529
Pentecost Sunday (C) We are made for communion. We are called to communion. But you can't force anyone into communion. God respects our free will so much that…
Pilgrim PriestJesus Ascends and the Spirit Descends | #1528
Ascension of the Lord • We know that the earth is a giant sphere suspended in outer space. The ancient people thought of the world like a snow globe. Jesus is…
Pilgrim PriestDunked Into Communion | #1527
Easter, 6th Sunday (C) The First Reading is from the Sixth Sunday and the Second Reading and the Gospel are taken from the Seventh Sunday. God's deepest desire…
Pilgrim PriestThe Purpose of Our Parish | #1526
Easter, 5th Sunday (C) Our parish exists for one reason: Communion. Through Baptism we are "dipped" into God's love for us. When we receive Holy Communion, God…
Pilgrim PriestA Felt Sense of Safety and Security | #1525
Easter, 4th Sunday (C) Even from the very beginning, children need a felt sense of safety and security in order to thrive. Physically speaking, we live in a…
Pilgrim PriestThe Pope's Job Description | #1524
Easter, 3rd Sunday (C) This Gospel is one of my personal favorites. It was given to me on a Teens Encounter Christ retreat in 2004. John chapter 20 ends with…
Pilgrim PriestWhere Can We See the Risen Jesus? | #1523
Easter, 2nd Sunday (Divine Mercy) Happy Doubting Thomas Sunday! The early church fathers saw Sunday as the first day of the New Creation. Christians rest on…
Pilgrim PriestWhen Did God Become Real for You? | #1522
Easter Sunday • We have three reasons to be happy for Easter. The first reason is what we move from fasting to feasting. Happy "feaster" everybody! The second…
Pilgrim PriestWas God Still a Good Father on Good Friday? | #1521
Good Friday • Our own Good Friday experiences can cause us to doubt that God is a good father. The Passion reading is full of people acting out of…
Pilgrim PriestThe Miracle Moving Host (God Is With Us) | #1520
Holy Thursday • God is with us! He is with us in the happy Christmas times, the intimate Holy Thursday moments, and our tragic Good Fridays. No matter how much…
Pilgrim PriestTwo Obstacles to Self-Giving Love | #1519
Palm Sunday (C) Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, also known as "Passion Sunday." First we read Luke's account of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then…
Pilgrim PriestWritten In The Dust | #1518
Lent, 5th Sunday (C) The Pharisees have set a trap for Jesus. They can accuse him either of breaking Roman law or of breaking Mosaic law. Jesus cleverly…
Pilgrim PriestLiving in the Gaze of Unexpected Love | #1517
Lent, 4th Sunday (C) We are not expecting the father to welcome his prodigal son home again. We can all be like the prodigal son sometimes. We waste the…
Pilgrim PriestThis Is What We Do When We Feel Inadequate | #1516
Lent, 3rd Sunday (C) Moses is rescued from death by a mini-ark and is adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. When he witnesses injustice, he first tries to dominate…
Pilgrim PriestThe Light Is Our Destination | #1515
Lent, 2nd Sunday (C) You shouldn't start a journey if you don't know what the destination is. Lent is a journey and today we are shown the destination. Where…
Pilgrim PriestDunkirk and the Father's Protection | #1514
Lent, 1st Sunday (C) On May 10, 1940, the Nazi German Army invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. By May 21, German forces had trapped the British…
Pilgrim PriestRemember You Are Dust and to Dust You Will Return | #1513
Ordinary Time, 8th Sunday (C) Imagine looking back on your Lent from the perspective of Easter. Is it easier to give up candy now if you remember that Easter…
Pilgrim PriestIs God a Good Father? | #1512
Ordinary Time, 6th Sunday (C) Today we hear an excerpt from the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49). Jesus admonishes us to "love your enemies" and "do good to…
Pilgrim PriestPut Out Into the Deep | #1511
Ordinary Time, 5th Sunday (C) Peter looks good on the surface; he has a good life and a successful career and he's not interested in what Jesus is offering…
Pilgrim PriestTend The Living Flame | #1510
Candlemas (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord) • Today we celebrate Candlemas, the final feast day of the Christmas season. Mary received God's gift, helped…
Pilgrim PriestTime for a Fresh Start | #1509
Ordinary Time, 3rd Sunday (C) In addition to a sabbath day, Jewish law also prescribed a Sabbatical Year. Every seventh year, the land was to be left fallow…
Pilgrim PriestDonal Walsh Knew Where to Find the Wine | #1508
Ordinary Time, 2nd Sunday (C) The Holy Spirit gives us many gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits…
Pilgrim PriestJesus Wants Your Best and Your Worst | #1507
Feast of Epiphany • The Feast of Epiphany is older than Christmas. Early Christians celebrated January 6th as three feasts in one: the visit of the magi, the…
Pilgrim PriestJesus Comes to Heal Our Identities | #1506
Christmas, Holy Family (C) The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that Jesus comes not only to restore us as as individuals, but also to heal our family. The…
Pilgrim PriestIs There Room For Him In Your Inn? | #1505
Christmas Eve • There was a time when your ancestors did not celebrate Christmas. Then one day, missionaries came to bring the good news of Jesus Christ. This…
Pilgrim PriestChristmas Pageant or Ego-Drama? | #1504
Advent, 4th Sunday (C) Imagine for a moment that you attended a school Christmas program but no one was listening to the director. Everyone was singing their…
Pilgrim PriestThe Wheel of Fortune | #1503
Advent, 3rd Sunday (C) The monastery cloister teaches us to keep part of our hearts closed to the world and open to heaven. The ancient and medieval world was…
Pilgrim PriestWe Are Made for Communion | #1502
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception • St. Augustine first taught about original sin. He said that our first parents passed the infection of sin on to all…
Pilgrim PriestThe True Source of Our Peace | #1501
Advent, 1st Sunday (C) A felt sense of safety and security is necessary for us to find peace. When peace is missing, there are many ways we might try to…
Pilgrim PriestYou Can't Vote for the King but Every Vote Counts | #1453
Solemnity of Christ the King (B) There are three key figures in Old Testament society. The priest heals and sacrifices. The prophet teaches and preaches…
Pilgrim PriestWhen the Dependable Things Fail Us | #1452
Ordinary Time, 33rd Sunday (B) Ancient people couldn't depend on much. Plagues, wars, earthquakes, death, and decay all dogged their lives. The heavens above…
Pilgrim PriestHow Mite You Be Generous? | #1451
Ordinary Time, 32nd Sunday (B) Jesus is impressed not with the size of the donation; he is impressed with a generous heart. A poor widow holds nothing back…
Pilgrim PriestThree Levels of Vocation | #1450
Ordinary Time, 31st Sunday (B) The first level of vocation is the Universal Call to Holiness. This means that we were made in the image and likeness of God…
Pilgrim PriestThis Kind of Happiness Only Christians Can Experience | #1449
All Saints Day • Why have so many people left the Catholic Church? I think they have left because being Catholic made them less happy. It gets in the way of…
Pilgrim PriestWhat Does He See When Jesus Opens His Eyes? | #1448
Ordinary Time, 30th Sunday (B) Jericho often symbolizes the kingdom of this world. Bartimaeus can see with the eyes of faith that Jesus is the one he has been…
Pilgrim PriestHow to Grab a Spot at the Top | #1447
Ordinary Time, 29th Sunday (B) Stewardship is a great way of understanding the Gospel in our practical, everyday life. Christians are called to be like God. We…
Pilgrim PriestStewards of Creation and Human Life | #1446
Ordinary Time, 27th Sunday (B) This weekend we kickoff our annual parish Stewardship Renewal. We ask every parishioner of the Antigo Area Catholic Churches to…
Pilgrim PriestJesus Has a Message for Pimps | #1445
Ordinary Time, 26th Sunday (B) Many Catholics have no sense of the incredible gift they have received, nor the responsibilities that come with that gift. How…
Pilgrim PriestReceiving One (More) Child | #1444
Ordinary Time, 25th Sunday (B) The Bible and our Catholic faith teach that life begins at conception and that every child is a gift from God. Every one of us…
Pilgrim PriestTo Know the True Religion, You Must Answer This Question | #1443
Ordinary Time, 24th Sunday (B) Which world religion is the true religion? You don't have to look at every religion, you just have to answer this question: Is…
Pilgrim PriestHear, Listen, and Understand | #1442
Ordinary Time, 23rd Sunday (B) After an attempt at rolling my kayak, my ears had to be opened in order for me to hear clearly. Just because we can hear doesn't…
Pilgrim PriestThis Is the Reason Why God's Law Exists | #1441
Ordinary Time, 22nd Sunday (B) Is Jesus opposed to rituals and traditions? I see that Jesus has three objections to the behavior of the Scribes and Pharisees…
Pilgrim PriestThe Surprise Best Part of My Summer Vacation | #1440
Ordinary Time, 21st Sunday (B) Why have so many people left the Catholic faith? Some left because they didn't experience the Catholic church to be a loving…
Pilgrim PriestThe Interpretive Key that Unlocks the Meaning of Everything | #1439
Ordinary Time, 19th Sunday (B) The Eucharist looks like bread and it tastes like bread but it's really Jesus. Catholics have started to lose a sense of God's…
Pilgrim PriestJesus Offers to Satisfy Your Hunger | #1438
Ordinary Time, 18th Sunday (B) The Israelites were well-fed slaves! We modern Americans think we are free because we can have whatever we want. The problem is…
Pilgrim PriestYou Don't Realize How Hungry You Are | #1437
Ordinary Time, 17th Sunday (B) I notice three lessons from the multiplication of the five loaves and the two fish: First, we are hungry. Humans have many deep…
Pilgrim PriestBad Leadership is Not a New Problem | #1436
Ordinary Time, 16th Sunday (B) Bad leaders confuse and scatter. Good leadership leads to clarity, unity, and peace. The clarity comes from a respect for truth…
Pilgrim PriestShake Off the Dust of Self-Reliance | #1435
Ordinary Time, 15th Sunday (B) The whole human race has a long love affair with self-reliance. We are convinced that a good, happy, and successful human life…