Mercy Triumphs: Weekly Homilies of a Catholic Priest

Some years ago, someone approached and asked me to bless a pendant on their necklace. The piece of jewelry was in the shape of a star, and it had a little depth to it; it wasn’t flat. And, because it wasn’t a Christian symbol, I asked what it was. She said, “It’s my loved one’s ashes.” Internally, I was a little shocked but I responded very politely and gently saying, “I’m sorry. I’m not able to bless that but I’d encourage you to bury that at a cemetery when you can.” …The fact is, in one-hundred years, no one is going to know what’s in that necklace; no one is gonna know what’s in that vase. And it will be put in an attic, or a basement, or, sadly, thrown out: That’s not what we want for our loved ones. And that’s not how we show respect for the fact that our bodies will not only be resurrected, but alive again in Heaven. …I share this story because the ascension of Jesus highlights this fact: Followers of Jesus will literally follow where Jesus has gone before, which includes h...

It is said that "there are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. However, there are millions who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church.” For example, I was having a conversation with a lady in the hospital. As a chaplain, I was offering her the Sacrament of the Sick because she was in the emergency room. Then, I can’t remember why but, she started talking about how she hates all the dogmas of the Catholic Church. And, because she was in the hospital, I very politely listened and offered her the Sacraments again, which she accepted. But, if she was not in such a vulnerable position, I may have asked her which dogmas she disagreed with: Did she disagree that Jesus is God? Or that Jesus rose from the dead, or that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Did she disagree that humanity needs a savior, or that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary? And, from these questions, she would quickly realize she doesn’t know what a dogma...

I've been reading Pope Francis’ autobiography; a book that has been feeding me spiritually. Within my reading, I came across words of his that very much relate to today's Gospel. Pope Francis writes,  “I am a sinner like everyone else…A brutal sin against love is that of disowning someone. There’s a person you love, and you reject them, you treat them as if you do not know them. They love you and you push them away…Therefore, rejecting God is one of the worst sins that exists. And yet Saint Peter committed that very sin: He disowned Jesus Christ…and they made him pope! Setting eyes on Jesus once again changed his heart and his life, more than before…What more can I add? Nothing. I move onward. I journey. Onward!” Pope Francis’ words and Jesus’ reconciliation with Peter highlight the paradox of how something very bad can actually be turned to benefit us. Why? Because God can use even our sins to benefit us. Obviously, that doesn't mean sinning is good. It would be bet...

Two-Thousand and Eight, my final year at college, was a very tumultuous time: I was approaching graduation, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I was filled with anxiety; I was actually having anxiety attacks for the first time in my life, and a lot of it also had to do with the fact that I hated how I was living: I was living a very worldly, superficial lifestyle. I was just doing what felt good and wasn’t worried about the consequences. But, that year, I realized I desperately needed guidance for my life. And, so, because I was raised to understand that Jesus is the creator of the universe; that He is the source of life, and has a plan for my life, I decided to take Him serious. So, I started going to daily Mass, I stopped missing Sunday Mass, started going to confession, reading the scriptures, praying the rosary, and visiting Jesus in the tabernacle. As we know, the little round Host at Mass becomes Jesus Himself. And, since that’s Jesus Himself, ...