Chapter 13 - Storms

I remember feeling a bit of “pilgrimage envy” when Father Martin described standing in one spot from where he could see “all the places in which Jesus lived and worked.”  What an amazing moment that must have been for him and for anyone who has ever stood there.  This geographical detail also reminds us of how local the life and ministry of Jesus was.  Bethlehem, for instance, is just seven miles from Jerusalem.  The richness of Jesus:  a Pilgrimage consists of these little but so very significant details, which place the Lord Jesus in a context, a context which continues to amplify his words and deeds. 

As chapter 13 progresses, Father Martin reflects on the storm at sea, with Jesus asleep in the boat.  Being in the midst of a tempest, worried that Jesus is sleeping on us, is an experience we can all relate to. 

Father Martin writes,

One of the most common struggles in the spiritual life is a feeling of God’s absence during painful times.  Even some of the saints report this.  Why is this so common?  Perhaps because when we are struggling, we tend to focus on the area of pain.  It’s natural, but it makes it more difficult to see where God might be at work in other places, where God is not asleep (p. 231).

I must admit, during those times in my life when I have experienced “The Silence of God,” I have often failed to consider that while God may not seem to be acting in the places where I would like him to act, perhaps that is so because there are other places where he is, in fact, acting.  And I wonder if my frustration with God, my anxiety and my fear have blinded me to the places in my life where God is indeed active, and very much awake……

To ponder and discuss:


1.  One of the most powerful lines in the story of the storm at sea describes the disciples' reaction.  The Greek is ephobethesan phobon megan:  "They feared a great fear."  God's power can overwhelm and awe.  Has it ever frightened you?

2.  Why do you think Peter asks Jesus if he can walk on water.

3.  Have you ever felt as if God were "asleep" in your life during a stormy time?  What, if anything, showed you that God was with you?


Steven Olson

Chapter 12 - Parables

I had never heard of the Bay of Parables before I read Chapter 12 on the parables of Jesus.  In this chapter, Father Martin helps us connect the person and message of Jesus with the actual places where He taught.

In this chapter we discover that The Bay of Parables is a naturally occurring amphitheater near the sea—the place where people sat as Jesus taught them from a boat.  And why does Jesus share his parables from a boat?  Because the sound of his voice, traveling over the water, is naturally amplified. 

“As I stood under the broiling sun,” Father Martin writes, “I was gobsmacked to see rocks, thorns, and fertile ground.  No one planted the thorn bushes, carted in topsoil, or arranged the stones to make the locale look as it did in Jesus’ time, as if it were a theme park called Jesus Land.  They were just there. . . .It dawned on me that when Jesus used objects from nature to convey his message—seeds, rocks, birds, clouds, water—he may not have been talking in generalities, but about these things right here. . . .It grounded the Gospels and Jesus, in a way that I never could have imagined.  It made me think more about the way Jesus drew on nature in his parables (p. 199).

The strength of our Lord’s teaching lies in his ability to tie the mystery of the Kingdom of God to things and people right in our midst.  Jesus teaches not by stringing together well thought out theological profundities, but by capturing our imagination,  by “teasing” us with what was familiar.  He was a master story teller.  His parables, little stories, were often familiar to his first hearers, so that when he began his stories, I would imagine that there were smiles on the faces of his eager hearers—smiles of recognition.

When I think about the preachers who capture my imagination, they are the people who are able to deliver profound spiritual truths and mysteries by telling a story.  The parables both draw us in and challenge us to consider our prejudices.  They hint at and scratch the surface of the the mystery.   Then, we spend the rest of our lives adding to our understanding of truths which cannot be fully understood.

To Ponder and Discuss:


1.  In your estimation, why did Jesus use parables?

2.  Which parable mentioned in this chapter--The Sower, The Lost Sheep, The Laborers in the Vineyard, The Talents or The Prodigal Son--"teases" your mind the most?  Which one disturbs you the most?




Steven Olson

Chapter 11 - Capernaum

  

The Miracle of Friendship

  

Did Jesus own a home?

Father Martin begins chapter 11 with an interesting question.  The question makes sense, since Capernaum was a kind of home base early in Our Lord’s ministry.

While we do not have a definitive answer to this question, I was excited to learn about the ancient graffiti in the first century structure (see pages 182 – 183) in Capernaum known as Peter’s House.  In the courtyard of this primitive home, ancient graffiti, written in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Syriac speak of Jesus as “Lord and Christ.”

This room in a private residence in Capernaum, according to the author, “was held in special regard by many people only a century after Jesus’s activities in Galilee” (page 183).

The graffiti suggests that Jesus himself had a connection to this home.  Did He in fact visit this home, the home of Peter?  Did He own a home nearby?  It’s a tantalizing question.  And was it in or near this place that the Healing of the Paralytic took place?

And, what, indeed, is the miracle that takes place in this home with the thatched roof in Capernaum?  The healing of a paralytic man?  Yes, to be sure.  But I would also suggest a second miracle, a miracle that paves the way for this healing.  I would suggest that it is the miracle of friendship.

Father Martin writes,

The men’s love for their friend has always moved me.  They care for their friend so much that they carry him on his krabattos, which must have taken a great deal of effort on their part.  They love him so much that they are willing to make a spectacle of themselves. . . .And they want him to meet Jesus so much that they risk angering Jesus (or Peter) by destroying an important part of the house.  But no matter—these men want healing for their friend (p. 186).

So, these four unnamed friends take a significant risk in order to place their friend in the presence of the Lord.  “Come  hell or high water” they took action--a gesture which clearly got the Lord’s attention.

Sometimes, it is not enough for us to pray for friends and loved ones.  Sometimes, we need to take action.  How blest was the paralyzed man to have these wonderful friends.  It is a shining example of Christian friendship.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss:


1.  Mark's Gospel says the paralyzed man's friends "unroofed the roof," in other words, ripped off the thatch.  Luke, writing later for a more cosmopolitan audience, changes that explanation to "they let him down. . . .through the roof tiles."  Do such edits in the Gospels surprise or bother you?

2.  The "scribes and Pharisees" have frequently been portrayed in negative terms in Christian history.  Yet, as Amy-Jill Levine and other scholars remind us, they were devout believers trying to lead holy Jewish lives.  Can you understand some of their suspicion of Jesus?

3.  How have your friends "carried you" to God?


Steven Olson

Chapter 10 - Happy

In a recent homily on the Beatitudes, the preacher I was listening to alluded to the fact that it is not known what "mount" (hill?) the Sermon on the Mount was delivered on--a point made by Father Martin at the start of chapter 10.  The preacher also made the point that the Sermon on the Mount was not likely delivered in one sitting,  but that this sermon represents a summary of our Lord's core teaching--a point also emphasized by Father Martin. Through the eyes and experience of Father Martin and his traveling companion, we learn more and more about what Holy Land sites might be authentic and what sites are simply not known.

When I read the Beatitudes, I get hung up on God’s sense of timing.  The promised rewards for all the “blessed”--the humble, the poor in spirit, the peacemakers, those who mourn--seem to be destined to take place at some point in the future.

Also, His list of those who are happy/blest seems out of sync with the world we live in where, by all appearances…..

…Happy are well well-off.  Their worries seem to be few.

…Happy are the gadget-rich.  They seem to have it made in the shade.

. . Happy are the good-looking.  Doors seem to open for them so easily.

And so I ask, my soul asks:  “What about now?  What about us?”

For me, the answer came at an Advent retreat I participated in this week, in which the retreat leader reminded us that God never tires of calling us, and naming us, and blessing us now, in the present.  We need to have the eyes to see and the ears to hear what God is actively doing in the life of each of us.  Now is our time in salvation history, the speaker kept emphasizing.  We need to see it and be open to it.  Open to the continuous outpouring of blessings coming our way in the here and now.  More acutely aware of the activity of God in the present.

Beatitude is not just a future hope.  With the eyes to see and ears to hear, the experience of being blessed/happy becomes a present reality as well.  And we become Beatitude, the more we embody the Beatitudes.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss:


1.  "Blessed are the Poor" is Luke's version of this verse of the Beatitudes.  What does that mean for you?

2.  What is for you the most challenging of the Beatitudes in Matthew's version (pp. 180 -81)?

3.  Do you know anyone whom you would call a "person of the Beatitudes?"

4.  Pick one of the Beatitudes.  Pray about it and try to act on it every day this week.



Steven Olson

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 9 - Gennesaret

What are We Going to do with All These Rotting Fish?

Overwhelmed by the miracle of the immense catch, Peter is “amazed” and falls to his knees before the Lord.  Peter seems painfully aware of his sinfulness, of the distance between himself and Jesus.  “In the bright sunlight of God’s love, Peter sees his shadow side.  So he utters an utterly human response: ‘Go away from me, for I am a sinful man’” (Page 159).

Father Martin then lists several reasons why we push God away, or, why, at times, there is distance between God and his people. Father Martin specifically addresses the issue of the people who feel marginalized, separate,  from the Church they once called “home”—the people who feel discouraged or scandalized by what their churches do or don’t do.

He reminds us:

It is important to remember that the church did not die and rise from the dead.  Jesus did.  Especially in times of difficulty and scandal, we need to be reminded that our faith is not in an institution but in a person:  Jesus. . . . The church does not save us, Jesus does.  It is Jesus, not the institution, who has called you into relationship with him.  Even though we may feel the church is saying ‘Go away from me’ those words never pass from Jesus’ lips when he meets sinful people. . . . .In belonging to a Church, we sometimes feel unworthy of membership.  We also feel, at times, that the church is unworthy of the one who founded it. (Pages 163 – 164).

In this era of the “New Evangelization” it is important to remember that the people we need to be fishing for may include members of our own families, or the friends and neighbors who used to sit down the pew from us at Mass, but have now fallen away.  They need to be reminded that Jesus is not God’s  “No” but is always God’s “Yes.” 

As we begin a new church year, lets reach out and invite those on the margins to come home.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss:


1.  What do you think led Peter to say, "Go away from me, for I am a sinful man."


2.  Despite Peter's admission of sinfulness, Jesus calls him to be a disciple.  Why do you think Jesus does this?  Why does he call Peter specifically?


3.  Witnessing the catch of so many fish may have enabled Peter to accept Jesus's invitation.  That is, the miracle may have served as proof of his power and authority.  What "fish" in your life help you say yes to God?


Steven Olson

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 8 - Immediately

The Exorcist

St. Mark’s Gospel has long been my favorite of the four gospels.  Because it was the first of the four gospels to be written down, it has the mark (no pun intended) of an original.  Mark is terse, dramatic, action-packed and right to the point.  Unlike John’s Gospel, there is no beautiful prolog.   Unlike Matthew and Luke, we do not hear at all of the birth of the Son of God.  There are no angels, no manger, no magi.  Instead, Mark plunges right into our Lord’s public ministry.

In Mark’s gospel, the repeated use of the Greek word, euthus, “immediately” adds to the picture of Jesus who acts decisively and with power.  The power of the Word.

In the encounter with The Word, demons are put in their place.

Of the many things that come to mind as I read chapter 8, let me mention two:

Then, strangely, the possessed man says, or shouts, something sensible.  “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Here, in the first chapter of Mark, someone speaks the identity of Jesus.  “Have you come to destroy us?”  The demons who inhabit the man intuit something essential about Jesus (page 148).

Bible readers often miss the incredible irony in the four gospels.  Here, in the encounter with the possessed man, the demons, unlike the disciples, are crystal clear about who Jesus is as they confess that he is “the Holy One of God.”  Here at the very beginning of his public ministry, long before the 12 apostles come to terms with who Jesus is, the demons are the ones who are crystal clear as to the Lord’s identity.  Not only do they confess that He is the “holy one of God” but their question—“Have you come to destroy us?”—is also an admission of the Lord’s perceived power over evil. 

Later on, Jesus will have to ask his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  And they will struggle with their answer.  Long before Peter confesses that “You are the Christ” the demons know and are in no way confused about who Jesus is.  The Evil Foe is no dummy…

Jesus’ healing of the man in the synagogue was immediate.  Our own healings, however, usually don’t happen euthus.  And this is a source of sadness for many of us.  We desperately long for something as instantaneous as what Jesus offered to the man.  And I’m not talking simply about physical healings (page 153).

When speaking about others, in casual conversation, we often say, “he has his demons” or “she has her demons.”

And if we dare look within, we have an uneasy sense of the demons who possess us.

For many of us, the struggle with our demons is life-long.  Father Martin speaks about participating in years of personal therapy and spiritual direction in an effort to experience the healing which comes almost instantaneously to the possessed man in the synagog.  In addition to personal therapy and spiritual direction, I would also add that the best weapons to overcome the evil within are the same weapons used to heal the man in the synagog:  the Word of God.  And, as a Catholic, I would add, the graces of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist.  In the Mass we all say, “only say the Word and my soul shall be healed.”  

It was St. Ignatius of Antioch who referred to the Eucharist as "the medicine of immortality."  Word and Sacrament are the best weapons I know against the demons within.

  

Questions for Discussion:


1.  John Meier notes that claiming that Jesus was an exorcist has a much "historical corroboration" as almost any other statement we can make about the historical Jesus.  Given that, how do you see the role of the exorcisms and the confrontation with the demonic in his public ministry?

2.  William Barclay posits two approaches to exorcisms:  either we relegate possession to the realm of primitive thought, or we admit the possibility of the demonic both then and now.  Which approach do you prefer?

3.  Have you ever asked the Lord to free you of your "demons" or things that kept you unfree?



Steven Olson

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 7 - Galilee

And Immediately They Left Their Nets and Followed Him

Remains of a First Century Fishing Boat

Here’s the problem with the Gospels:  We’ve heard the stories so many times that it’s easy to overlook their overriding strangeness.  We’ve lost the ability to be surprised by them.. . . .they become like old coins, their edges smoothed away.  The Call of the First Disciples is one such story.  But if you read it with fresh eyes, it reveals itself as an unsettling tale.  How could four men walk away from everything—their jobs, their families, their entire way of life—to follow a carpenter who says only a few words to them? (Page 131).

Prior to reading this chapter, I tended to picture the fishermen on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as a motley crew of anonymous workers mending their nets.  It is more likely, given the busy and successful fishing industry located there in the first century, that Peter and Andrew, James and John were successful, hard-working local businessmen—successful enough to have had hired servants in their family business.

Like Peter, they were married (or,was Peter a widower at this point?)—people with families, working at a business that was handed on from generation to generation.

It is very likely that they were well-connected locally, successful and financially secure.  All the more surprising, then, that they left everything behind to go and follow Jesus.

In addition, Father Martin reminds us that Jesus was not a loner.  While, at times, he needed time alone and apart to pray the the Father.  He gathers a group of friends around him as he begins his public ministry.  From the start, we see the communal nature of the group which will become the church.  We are reminded that the Christian Church is not about “me and Jesus.”  It is fundamentally communal.  We are all, indeed, family.

And what about “The Call?”  Jesus calls people individually.  The call is personal.

On page 141, Father Martin writes, “Many people think that being called means hearing voices. Or they feel that since they have never had a knocked-me-off-my-feet spiritual experience that they have not been called.. . . .being called can be more subtle, manifesting itself as a strong desire, a fierce attraction, or even an impulse to leave something behind.”

God continually calls and invites us to drop the nets that entangle us in our old ways of doing things, ways that are no longer healthy for us, ways that keep us from being more loving.  It is not enough simply to know what Jesus said by the Sea of Galilee.  We must be ready to hear his voice in our own lives.

Steven Olson




Questions to Ponder:

1.  Why do you think Peter and the other fishermen said yes to Jesus?

2.  Jesus' invitation to the fishermen is open ended.  In other words, when Jesus says he will help them "fish for people," he doesn't say how.  Have you ever experienced an open-ended call?  Also, what "nets" prevent you from responding to God's call?

3.  Jesus says that he will "make" Peter and his friends fishers of people, a phrase that evokes a sense of a new creation.  What do you hope God will "make" of you?

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 6 - Rejection

Rejection is probably the most painful of human emotions.  Even mourning the death of a loved one is strongly influenced by our sense of rejection.  Human beings in spite of our sense of self and individual personalities find ourselves longing for acceptance and respect.  The need to be loved is oundational for everyone, in every culture, time and place. Consequently we often agonize over our self-image and our need to fit in.  We certainly know all too well the life-long negative consequences of bullying and rejection in the development of children.

In this chapter of Jesus a Pilgrimage Fr Martin uses one of the more dramatic scenes in Luke’s Gospel to focus on this problem of rejection and our need for approval from others.  While in Nazareth, Jesus reads from the Prophet Isaiah and proclaims that the ancient prophesies about the Messiah point to himself.  Not only his claim but he himself are roundly rejected by those who knew him best in his home village.  Fr Martin uses this scene to discuss in some depth both Jesus’ likely feelings and Fr Martin’s own struggles with the need to please others and avoid the pain of rejection.  He recounts his long struggle with the fear of rejection in relation to Jesus’ human and divine nature.  

When we fail to claim our identity in God and feel that the value of our self is determined by the acceptance and approval of others we are imprisoned and unable to be fully alive.  We become paralyzed and unable to do what God has planned for us.  Fr. Martin tells us that “Jesus didn’t need to be liked”, and that this was liberating for him. “Jesus’s freedom sprang from an unwillingness to let other people’s opinions determine his actions.” He was able to preach the Kingdom of God in spite of negative comments from the people he encountered.  At the same time Fr. Martin also reminds us that maintaining a strong sense of self and seeking the advice and family and friends and “the wisdom of the community” is a delicate balance that requires prayer and prudence.

I expect that our readers will find some very useful insights on our need for the approval of others and the compromises one makes when we allow others to define our value.  Here again reflecting on the life of Jesus can show us the way to freedom.

Questions to Ponder:



How has our need for approval compromised our witness to the truth of Christian moral principles in our family relations? At work? In school?  

Have you ever felt imprisoned and paralyzed when you needed to take some specific action because of “what the neighbor’s would think”? What negative consequences came your way by your inaction? 

As our culture becomes more hardened and intolerant towards people who try to live their Christian faith in public are you prepared to withstand the inevitable rejection that will come your way? How so?

Deacon Mike McKenna

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 5 - Jordan

God Stood in Line

Father Martin’s description of the contemporary Jordan River is a bit of a shocker:  bright, slimy green, like a can of Mountain Dew.  Polluted.  Not very appealing. 

That said, the chapter is very rich in content and very inspirational.  Like this passage:

Jesus somehow came to realize that baptism was what God the Father had desired for him—to fulfill ‘all righteousness.’  Perhaps this meant publicly aligning himself with John’s Ministry.  Perhaps before he began his own ministry, he wanted, in a sense, to pay tribute to that of his cousin, as a way of underlining his solidarity with the Baptist’s message.  Jesus may also have wanted to perform a public ritual to inaugurate his own ministry.

But there is another possibility, which is that Jesus decided to enter even more deeply into the human condition.  Though sinless, Jesus participates in the ritual that others are performing as well.  He participates in this movement of repentance and conversion not because he needs it, but because it aligns him with those around him, with those anticipating the reign of God with the community of believers.  It’s an act of solidarity, a human act from the son of God, who casts his lot with the people of the time.  The divine one is fully immersing himself. . . .in our humanity. 

At the Baptism, Jesus was taking sides with us.  God stood in line (p. 106).

Like many Christians, I have often pondered why Jesus needed to be baptized.  Father Martin first asserts that Jesus is baptized out of respect for John his cousin and the movement he has inaugurated on the banks of the muddy Jordan to signal the dawn of a new age and the need for repentance. As a missionary strategy, it is wise to pay tribute to the person whose message our Lord will take up and expand as he begins his public ministry.

Beyond that, Father Martin asserts that Jesus chooses baptism to enter more deeply into the human condition.  The image of God standing in line moves me.  If I were going to preach an Advent homily/sermon I would title it, “The God who Stood in Line.”  That says it all.  By accepting baptism, Jesus threw in his lot with us. 

All of our lives are important, even the parts of the past that we have ignored, downplayed, or forgotten.  If we open the door to our past, we will discover God there, accompanying us in both happy and sad moments.

As a convert to Catholicism, I especially appreciated Father Martin’s discussion of “the past.”  When we convert from something, or when we want to leave the past behind and move forward to the future, sometimes, if only in our minds and memories, we close the door to “the past”—whatever the past is.  In this chapter, he helps us to appreciate the Lord’s past, his childhood and adolescence, as being as important to our understanding of him and the Jesus who came to be baptized in the Jordan, propelling him into ministry and ultimately, the cross.  In the spiritual life, it’s important not to forget our past, for if we look back, we see God at work.  

1. 
   

Questions to Ponder:


1.  Using what scholars call the "criterion of embarrassment," the baptism of Jesus is often said to be one of the most historically attested events in the Gospels.  Why do you think Jesus decided to be baptized?

2.  At the Jordan River, Jesus received a dramatic revelation of his identity.  He also heard himself pronounced as "beloved."  Have you ever  had similar experiences--that is, of understanding who you are called to be and of feeling loved by God?

3.  In the testing in the desert, Jesus was tempted to go against the person he was called to be, his "true self."  Have you ever been tested in this way?



Steven Olson

                      This video shows the Baptism Site of Jesus referred to in the chapter:

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 4 - Nazareth

Jesus Increased In Wisdom and in Years

“In the messy and beautiful physical realities of the human person, in the craziness and sublimity of family life, and in the toil and satisfaction of the working life, Jesus knew the world.”  Messy and beautiful, crazy and sublime, toil and satisfaction, doesn’t that sum up the ordinary lives of us all?  Yes we all know, in faith, that the man “Jesus” that walked the earth 2000 years ago was and is God, but I think we sometimes fail to grasp that he truly was human, one with us in all ways except sin.  Perhaps the reason we have difficulty with understanding that, is because there is very little written about the ordinary human life Jesus lived in Nazareth, after his dramatic entrance into mankind, until the start of his public ministry beginning around age 30.  However, I believe Scripture does not share this with us because the ordinary or hidden life of Jesus was unique for Him, just as our ordinary lives are each unique for us but ultimately lead each of us on a path to holiness and our own salvation.

Although Jesus’ childhood, adolescence and early adulthood are obscure and unknown it can be surmised that those years were filled with life experiences that prepared Him for His ultimate mission.  As it is for us as well, it’s precisely in our ordinary, commonplace, uneventful lives that we are prepared and groomed to do God’s work in and among the lives of the people we encounter on a daily basis.  Jesus was able to minister to the people and understood the pains, struggles and joys of life because he lived and experienced them himself. 

During Jesus’ hidden life he was the clay in the potter’s hand, just as we all are.  Everything that happens to us throughout our lives good and bad, sensational and ordinary, God uses to achieve the masterpiece He desires to accomplish in our souls to ultimately bring us to eternal life with Him in Heaven.

1. If you look back on your life can you see how God has been at work leading you to where you are now?
2. Jesus lived an ordinary life in Nazareth for (roughly) thirty years, in large part working as a tekton.  How does his work life and occupation influence your understanding of him?
3. What to you was the most surprising aspect of the description of daily life in Nazareth?
4. How do you see God working in your daily life today drawing you to an even deeper relationship with Him?

Lucy Premus

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 3 - Bethlehem

She Gave Birth to Her Firstborn Son

Fr. Martin and his traveling companion Fr. George begin the next phase of their pilgrimage with a half hour bus ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.  Then a local cab driver shepherds them around the various sites on their to-do list as well as one that they never heard of.  Such is the adventurous nature of travel.  The off itinerary stops and contact with the local residents are often the most rewarding experiences.  Fr. Martin comments that the visit to the Church of the Nativity, venerated for millennia as the site of Jesus’ birth, left him disappointed in that the crowd of tourists left him unable to enter into any meaningful prayer.  A problem solved by the peace and solitude at his next unexpected stop.

In the course of this short chapter on Bethlehem Fr. Martin offers us two useful meditations.  The physical constraint of the doorway requires that one enter the Church of the Nativity on one’s knees.  This leads him to a reflection on the value of humility in our spiritual lives.  His thoughts echo the ancient desert masters from the first centuries of Christianity.  Those holy men and women considered humility as the mother of all Christian virtues. Fr. Martin reminds us of the fundamental grace of salvation history, God’s taking on our humanity so that we might have a share in his divinity.

His second reflection centers on the persons of Mary and Joseph as human beings who love and trust in God and each other, but were likely to still be confused and fearful of an unknown future.  There is much here for each of us to think about, especially those of us who are parents, in Fr. Martin’s speculative meditation on Mary and Joseph.

Questions to Ponder

1. How have we responded to fear and confusion in our lives?  Are we comfortable in putting our trust in God or is it something we need to constantly work on?

2. A truly humble person is one who is proud of the gifts God has given them and recognizes that they are to be put in the service of others.  They also recognize the God given gifts, talents and dignity of others as being equal to their own.  How can reflecting on the hidden life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph help us grow in the proper understanding of the Virtue of Humility?

3. Fr. Martin comments that others had advised him that a trip to Bethlehem might be too dangerous, that he should skip this place.  He rejects that advice knowing that he needs to go to Bethlehem and is reward by the experience.  How often have we listened to others and missed opportunities for spiritual growth instead of listening to ourselves and responding to our own needs?

Deacon Michael McKenna

Rick Steeves visits modern-day Bethlehem

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 2 - Yes!

How Can This Be?

The entrance of “The Divine” into humanity begins in what was considered back then to be an obscure, backwater, “insignificant hamlet” - the town of Nazareth.  No, this is not where Jesus was born, but rather it’s where He was conceived.  The Angel Gabriel came to a young girl named Mary and addresses her with the words “Hail, full of grace”.  This moment in history is known as “The Annunciation”.  The message Gabriel has come to deliver is that she will bear a son.  Her only question to such an inconceivable (no pun intended) message is “How can this be?”  The Angel tells her what will happen and then the Angel left her.

Now Mary is left to ponder what all of this means.  Not only is she going to have a baby, out of wedlock, but this baby is the Son of God.

However, Mary is not the only one in history to be called by God to bring Jesus into the world.  Truth be told, we all are.   We all experience our own “annunciations” every day.  We are all called to bring Jesus into this world, but each of our annunciations is different and unique to us and who God is calling us to be.  We all have our “angels” so to speak and they could come to us in varied and unexpected ways – other people, Scripture/inspirational writings, art, nature and so on.  It’s up to us to open our hearts and minds and respond to the call as Mary did, even in our fears and doubts and feelings of unworthiness.  We must remember “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called” - Mother Teresa

Mary says “yes” to God and to a future she does not know.  Why, because she has faith and trusts in what God has already done in her life and in the lives of her people.  God calls each of us to have that same trust.   Will you?

Questions to Ponder:

1.  . The main focus of this chapter is about trust.  Mary’s trust in saying yes to an incredible request that is going to lead her on a journey beyond anything she ever could have ever imagined.  Can you recall a time in your life when you said “yes” to God not really knowing what it would mean or where it would take you? 

2. What were you feeling at the time, peace or angst in your decision? What was the outcome?

3.  Mary is being "recovered" in this chapter not only as the "Blessed Mother" but also as Miriam of Nazareth, a young woman living in a backwater town.  Is it easier for you to relate to the "Mother of God" or to the poor woman in Nazareth?

Lucy Premus



Here is a  YouTube video from modern day Nazareth:

Check back next Sunday for Chapter 3, "Bethlehem."

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 1: Pilgrims

Father Martin begins his book with an interesting confession:  initially he did not see the value of making a pilgrimage to the holy land in order to write his book about Jesus.  As a reader, and as a would be pilgrim, I find the author’s honesty and transparency refreshing.  After all, I am reading this book because I have yet to make that (literal) pilgrimage to the holy land.  I, too, have had my own reservations over the years.

Father Martin’s reluctance to visit the holy land had to do with not wanting to spoil the image he had created over the years through study, prayer and meditation.  He writes, “I already ‘knew’ what Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee looked like, because I had imagined those locales so often.  We feared that laying eyes on locales overrun with tourists would sully our pristine mental pictures” (page 16).

I remember harboring similar fears the first time I made a pilgrimage to Rome.  I approached the trip with a mixture of excitement and the fear of being disappointed.  To my soul’s delight, I found that my fears were unfounded as I stood in the scavi, several stories beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, and gazed upon the first century cemetery where we believe St. Peter is entombed.  I had waited years to be there and instead of being disappointed I was moved beyond measure.

Ultimately, encouraged by a good friend, Father Martin changes his mind and plans his trip. Wisely, he decides to go in the company of a friend.

Fr. Martin at the Sea of Galilee

How would you define a pilgrimage?  Someone I know recently defined a pilgrimage as “our journey from Earth to Heaven.” Others see it as a kind of purposeful wandering, a walk, a journey toward a holy place or goal.

I confess, when I was younger, I was more focused on arriving (quickly) at the destination.  Now, as I’m a bit older, I find that the journey itself is of equal importance.

Questions to Ponder

1. Can you relate to Father Martin’s initial reluctance to make his pilgrimage to the holy land?
2. Have you ever made a pilgrimage to a holy place?  What was the most memorable part of your experience?  Did you encounter God there?
3. What do you most hope to discover as you journey through this book?  How do you hope to encounter Jesus?

Don't forget to return next Sunday as we read Chapter 2, "Yes."

Steven Olson

Here is an interview with Father Martin about the book.

Introduction: Who is Jesus?

Welcome to our online discussion of Jesus: A Pilgrimage by Father James Martin.

The author begins with the question:  Who is Jesus?

He writes:  ‘Fully human and fully divine’ means that Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t just a great guy, an inspiring teacher, and a holy man.  Moreover, the charismatic carpenter wasn’t merely a clever storyteller, a compassionate healer, or a courageous prophet (page 3.).

Who then is Jesus?  Who is He for us?

Our English word, scandal, comes from a New Testament word, skandalon, meaning “stumbling block.”

Which of Our Lord’s two natures—human and divine—trip us up?

How did you react as the author described Jesus’ sharp rebuke of the woman in Mark’s Gospel who asked him to heal her daughter?  Does our understanding of His human nature allow for Him to have moments of annoyance and anger?

Do you have friends or family members who believe that Jesus was nothing more than a first century celebrity, but who stop short of seeing Him as the divine Son of God? 

To what extent have we domesticated Jesus--made Him over in our own image, so that we can avoid His claim on our lives?

We hope you buy the book and follow along each week as we journey through Jesus:  a Pilgrimage.  We hope you will participate by leaving your reactions and comments below. And join us next Sunday, October 4, when we continue our journey by reading Chapter 1, “Pilgrims.”


Questions to Ponder:

1.  If Jesus asked you, "Who do you say that I am?" how would you respond?

2.  If you, like Thomas Jefferson, were to remove those passages from the Gospels that make you uncomfortable, which ones would you choose?  What might those passages reveal about your understanding of Jesus?

3.  Which approach to Jesus Christ appeals to you:  the 'Jesus of History' or the 'Christ of Faith'? Or both?



Steven Olson

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

You Are Invited to a Pilgrimage...

Perhaps you are a person who has wanted to visit the Holy Land and walk the places where Jesus walked but, to date, you have not been able to travel there.

Perhaps you are a person who wants to learn more about Jesus but you tell yourself that you are  too busy to attend a class or Bible study.

What if you could do both of these things without leaving your home?

Beginning Sunday, September 27, you will have an opportunity to learn more about Jesus and do so through the eyes of Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest, who has written a new book called Jesus:  a Pilgrimage.

Beginning Sunday, September 27 you are invited to read this book--one chapter a week--and participate in our virtual pilgrimage as an online community of readers reads, meditates upon and discusses this book.  All you have to do is purchase the book and read along.  Each Sunday, beginning September 27, one of our team of contributors will present a spiritual reflection on that week’s  chapter and then offer readers some discussion questions to ponder.

Once you read the chapter we encourage you to actively contribute to the discussion by leaving comments or questions in the comment section below.

Have a look at the Trailer....

We hope you will buy the book and return here (srlcatechesis.blogspot.com) as we pilgrimage together beginning September 27.


Steven Olson,
Director of Religious Education
St. Rose of Lima Church
Freehold, NJ