Mercy

I'm reading the collection of saint quotes from the book, "The Wisdom of the Saints" (Matthew Kelly). There are some really good pearls of wisdom from powerhouse saints in this book! Here are two:

"God's greatest attribute is mercy" (St. Faustina).

When I preached last weekend about spiritual recovery, I came down from the pulpit to the pews. I basically pleaded with people to go to Confession. I want them to experience God's greatest attribute which is His mercy. I mentioned St. Paul and the second reading, that he was treated mercifully in Christ even though he was ignorant about Him. I received the same treatment when I first came back to the Lord. Mercy!

Hearing confessions - I'm writing this post on my phone during a break in Wednesday evening confessions- is my favorite part of being a priest. As much as I love the Eucharist and celebrating Mass, there is nothing greater than to offer the mercy of Christ to someone who is asking for it in Confession.

"Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future" (St Augustine).

St. Augustine has one of the most colored pasts of any saint. I revealed my past on Sunday when I told the parish that I am a recovering alcoholic of 28 years. I spoke about the devastating effects that addiction has on one's life, value, identity, and purpose. Recovery brings a return to all those things and then some because of the appreciation for having them back. My program has not been AA or anything; it's been the Grace of Confession and the Eucharist. Those sacraments saved my life. They helped me to leave addiction in the past, love the present, and hope for the future. We are all sinners, so we all have a future in Christ!