Mercy Triumphs: Weekly Homilies of a Catholic Priest

I remember sitting in seminary when the recent news of a terrible crime was being discussed. And one of the students raised his hand and shared that he believed that the criminals should have to suffer the same kind of death they imposed on their victims. And he added, “I’m not sorry to say that either. …What that student shared was a perfectly understandable and honest reaction to a horrible crime. But even understandable outrage cannot alone decide what punishment is morally acceptable. For example, the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, and her accusers appealed to the law to demand her death. Jesus’ response was to challenge them, sparing her life, and calling her to turn away from sin. With the death penalty in the news, this is a good opportunity to remember what the Church teaches. The Church authoritatively teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible and calls us to work for its abolition because even the guilty retain their human dignity. And, as people ...

A Marine was sharing a story about how he accidentally cut off another vehicle while driving. When they arrived at a stoplight, the other driver got out, approached the Marine’s window, and started screaming at him. The Marine said the man was much smaller than he was. He could have gotten out and confronted him too. But he kept his window up and simply said, “I’m sorry. I messed up.” And the other man’s demeanor totally changed. He said, “It’s OK,” walked away, and got back in his car.  …What does it mean to forgive? I think the definition we can draw from today’s Gospel passage is this: To forgive is to release someone from our debt, specifically, releasing them from the grudge and the desire to get even. The Marine apologized for his carelessness, and the other man forgave him. The Marine also had to forgive the other guy for escalating the situation. They both let it go. Now, those are relatively minor offenses. They happen all the time. But what if the wrong done again...

“This is the best decision we’ve ever made as a couple.”…“I don’t know what I’m going to do after it ends.”…“It makes me love learning about my faith.” Those are quotes from three young adults right here in our own parish who have decided to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church last night. They’ve been coming each week for the past few months to Catholic formation classes as they prepare to be fully initiated into the Church, and that is what they had to say about it. And if you’ve seen any headlines about the renewed interest people have in the Catholic Church, I think it’s largely because young people want truth. No matter how unpopular some of the teachings of the Catholic Church may be portrayed, young people just want to know the truth. And they want to follow it, because they realize it brings them joy and peace in a way that nothing else can. And it's not a coincidence that when we follow the truth—peace and joy come into our lives. Because the truth is a perso...

When I was in high school, my older brother started going to daily Mass with my grandfather. At the time, it confused me, because I didn’t know why anybody would want to go to Mass every day. Mass already seemed pretty boring, so why would someone want to be more bored? As I grew older and realized how much I needed my faith and a relationship with Jesus, I ended up having several spiritual awakenings that made me realize how powerful Mass is. For example, I myself started going to daily Mass when I was desperate for God’s guidance, and, at one Mass, when I was standing during the intercessions, I felt as if God said to me, “If you become a priest, I will take care of you forever.” It felt like the most loving Father had offered me the most comforting words; words that gave me such a deep sense of security. And it all happened while I was standing there during Mass. Mass is a prayer, right? But where does it come from? Why are we doing this? Well, it’s because of Jesus. The Mass litera...

The first time I seriously thought about priesthood as an adult was when I was a freshman in college. I had just experienced a tremendous spiritual consolation from prayer in my dorm room and I received a sense that I was supposed to be a priest.   At the time, I didn’t know what a priest did. I just felt like I was called to it. I didn’t even think I was capable. I didn’t know what I was capable of. I just felt this desire. I felt so strongly about it that I decided to call the priest who handled seminary applications. I remember I was so scared that my hand was shaking. …To my relief, the priest was out of the office, so I hung up and didn’t call back for three years. So, about three years later, when I was a senior in college, I remember praying in front of Jesus in the Eucharist. I bowed my head and prayed in desperation for guidance saying, “Jesus, I will do whatever you want me to do, just let me know what it is and I’ll do it.” And, in that moment, I felt this tremend...

In the first reading the Lord says, “Return to me with your whole heart.”   I was thinking about what I was going to say about that. I was going to say something like, “This is very difficult—to give God our whole heart.” But, I realize, it's not difficult. It's actually impossible. We can't give God our whole heart. It's impossible…without God's help. We absolutely need God's help to do this. We're fooling ourselves if we think otherwise.  And, so, we have to get in the habit of asking God for help. “God, help me through this.” “God, help me overcome this.” “God, take away my anxiety; give me strength.” Those should be prayers we should pray every single day. It is so pleasing to God for him to hear you pray that way and it opens us to his help. …In the second reading, Saint Paul says, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ That means repentance has to be real, and, for many of us, it means a good confession this Lent.  If your’e putting confession off, stop. The...