Mercy Triumphs: Weekly Homilies of a Catholic Priest

I remember speaking to a mother who was lamenting her failure in raising her children in the Faith; that she was a poor role model when her kids were young, which resulted in their disinterest in the Faith as adults but that she still hoped for them. I responded, “Do you see how amazing a role model you are now? You worship God at Mass; you go to confession; you pray for them ceaselessly. Now , you are an amazing role model for them, and I have no doubt they notice. No matter your past, what matters is how you live now; and right now, you’re doing an excellent job.” That mother’s desire to intercede for her children reminded me of Abraham in the first reading. Abraham was also interceding: Pleading on behalf of the people of Sodom. And God clearly listened to Abraham: God kept widening the path to mercy, agreeing to spare the city for fewer and fewer righteous people. …In the Gospel, Jesus teaches His disciples that God blesses persistent prayer. And, isn’t that what Abraham was doi...

A few years ago, I was preparing to go on a trip and, in my preparations, I was watching one of those Rick Steves videos; Rick Steves is like a tour guide.   And, at one point, he mentioned the issue of pickpockets, which made me a little nervous. So, I started watching YouTube videos on how to avoid getting pick-pocketed. And, I learned, there’s all these techniques, like how to tie your backpack to the leg of a table, or how to keep a secondary fanny-pack under your shirt. And, as I was clicking on these videos, one popped up on how to not get mugged in New York City. So, I clicked into that. And, in that video, a guy was explaining that, if you are passing a stranger, and they, in a very friendly way, say something like, “Hey, come here,” or, “Can I ask you something,” the wise response would be to raise your hands and, in a very loud voice, say, “No thank you,” and keep walking, and, in that way, you’re drawing attention to the situation and you’re not getting any closer. ...

I was listening to someone ask a bishop why the Catholic Church teaches that the Sacraments are necessary for salvation, like Baptism and Holy Communion. In other words, “How can the Catholic Church be so exclusive in its teachings; isn't that narrow-minded?”   …As a side-note, I will add that the Church does teach that God can save people who are not Baptized or who have not received Holy Communion, but it is through the Catholic Church that the grace of being saved comes; Jesus saves the world through His Church, which is His Body, because the body, the Church, is never separated from the head, Jesus. But, back to my story: So, this question is asked of this bishop about why the Church teaches that the Sacraments are necessary for salvation, and, without skipping a beat, the bishop began to quote Jesus’ very words about Baptism,  saying, quote “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” Then the bishop quoted Jesus’ words on the Eucharist...

Personally, if I'm at a crowded public event, like a football game, or even the Queen of Heaven carnival, I feel a lot safer when there are police around. When I see police in uniform, I feel a sense of security because if, God forbid, something goes wrong, I know there’s somebody who’s going to take charge and protect. And, I think that's what we want in a father. I think, not only traditionally, but ideally, we want a father who is going to stand up for us, protect us, and give us a sense of security and safety. And that's what Saint Paul says Jesus provides because of who Jesus is and what He did. In the second reading, Saint Paul writes to the Romans, quote, “[S]ince we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Again: We have peace, or security, or safety with God because of Jesus… What does Paul mean that we are “justified” by faith in Jesus? Well, to be justified means that we are made right or innocent; it means that...

Two weeks ago, I attended a Holy Hour for priestly vocations. It opened up with Eucharistic adoration, we prayed Evening Prayer together, a priest spoke about what led up to his deciding to become a priest—a story that was actually very inspiring and incredibly down to earth; another priest then blessed us with the Eucharist, and, finally, we went downstairs for a light dinner. The purpose of the night was to gather men who were discerning becoming priests. And, honestly, I wasn't super motivated to be there, but I wanted to support my priest brother in the prayer service he was leading. I kind of felt like I was doing him a favor by showing up. And, at this prayer service, there were actually more priests than guys discerning the priesthood. Regardless, it was a really positive night for me because something very powerful happened: I felt Jesus touch my heart. I felt Jesus, as He was exposed in the Blessed Sacrament, move me. Specifically, Jesus gave me the fortitude to do some...

In his autobiography, Pope Francis wrote, “In the 1920s, Henry Ford, the man who revolutionized the automobile, was [merciless] in his criticism of the ‘spineless’ youth of his time, describing them as mindless and lazy…These same young people would later be celebrated as ‘the Greatest Generation,’ because it was they who survived the Great Depression and came out victorious, as well as paying the price with enormous sacrifices during World War II.” The Pope continued to write: “We Christians must live in the awareness that our best days are yet to come. And we must strive, we must play our part so far as it is within…our abilities, for this to happen…Christians are not those with a ‘great future behind them;’ theirs is an anxious nostalgia for the future.” He then writes, “Be sure of it: The deepest, happiest, most beautiful reality for us, for those we love, has yet to come. Even if some statistic tells you the opposite…Pray with these words…: The best wine has yet to be served.” ...

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...