Heart of the Homily

Today Fr. Vigoa & Michelle Lopez are joined by guest Pam Giganti-Bunge We reflect on the Lateran feast to show why the Church lives in people, not stone, and share a vivid Cuba relief story that reveals faith in action. We talk about the domestic church, small groups, Emmaus retreats, and the daily work of repairing cracks with grace. • meaning of the Lateran dedication for modern believers •...

I returned from Santiago de Cuba shaken by the damage of the storm and inspired by the courage we saw, sharing how 43,000 pounds of food became a living sign of the Gospel. A woman with a broom and the feast of the Lateran Basilica teach us that the Church is people who rebuild on Christ. • scenes of loss in Cuba and lines for water • 43,000 pounds of aid delivered and distributed • El Cobre visit...

We reflect on All Souls landing on a Sunday and how facing death changes how we live, grieve, and love. Stories, scripture, and lived experience show why Christians mourn with hope and measure life by love, not length. • All Souls Day on a Sunday and its penitential lens • Steve Jobs on mortality meeting the Christian horizon of hope • Smartphones and distraction versus attention to what lasts • G...

We hold grief and hope together on All Souls Day, confronting death with the promise that love outlasts the grave. We explore prayer for the dead, the communion of saints, and how living for eternity reshapes forgiveness, mercy and daily choices. • why remembering death clarifies what matters • death as threshold in Christ, not the end • love made tangible in cross, baptism and Eucharist • prayer...

We read Luke 18:9–14 and confront the gap between outward virtue and interior truth. We share how humility opens space for grace, why comparison starves identity, and how an honest confession heals at the root. • the parable as a mirror for our prayer and life • dangers of comparison, pride and image management • God fills an empty, porous and honest heart • adult preparation for confession and ex...

We read the Pharisee and the tax collector as a mirror for the inner life, moving from performance to surrender. We share why honest prayer and confession open space for grace, and how humility frees us from comparison and shame. • The parable as a psychological mirror of prayer  • Vanity in religious clothes versus true holiness  • The tax collector’s simple plea and why it works  • Confession as...

We explore Exodus 17 to show why prayer is relationship, not magic, and how perseverance matures faith. Moses’ raised arms become a living image of the Church at prayer, calling us to identify our “Amaleks,” lift one another, and never give in. • choosing Exodus 17 as the focus and reading the passage • prayer as fidelity and relationship rather than results • Churchill’s persistence as a mirror f...

Churchill’s three-word charge meets Moses’ raised arms to reveal why the fiercest battles are fought in the heart and won through persevering prayer. We trace Amalek’s modern faces, the power of intercession, and how community keeps our tired hands lifted. • Amalek as a symbol of resistance to God • The heart as the primary battlefield • Moses, Aaron and Hur as a model of intercession • The church...

Gratitude and faith move together as we unpack Luke 17, Naaman’s healing, and why the Eucharist is a weekly school of thanksgiving. We share how simple obedience “on the way” opens space for healing, and we offer practical ways to practice daily gratitude that deepens belief. • Gratitude completes the miracle in Luke 17 • Naaman’s pride, simple obedience, and renewal • The scandal of simplicity in...

We explore how gratitude and faith form a living cycle that turns requests into worship and blessings into a life of return. Naaman, the healed Samaritan, and Paul in chains reveal why thanksgiving completes the miracle and matures trust. • Naaman’s pride confronted by simple obedience • Healing of the ten lepers and one returning • Gratitude completing the miracle into salvation • Faith, gratitud...

We press into the fear that our faith is too small and find freedom in trusting a faithful God. From pride’s demand for proof to the slow work of waiting, we explore how daily, ordinary yeses shape courage, heal wounds, and move real mountains. • faith measured by trust, not size • risk and reason held together in belief • pride’s need for control versus surrender • living on God’s terms and timin...

We sit with Father Adam to explore a winding road from punk stages to priestly vows, the miracle surrounding his father’s last rites, and the hard joy of going all in with Christ. Luke 16:19–31 becomes a mirror for desire, wealth, and a call to spiritual fatherhood. • meaning of Priesthood Sunday and gratitude for priests • Father Adam’s path from cultural Catholicism to conversion • beauty as a d...

We draw a clear line from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to the quiet ways complacency blinds us to people at our gate. We challenge prosperity myths, name everyday Lazaruses, and lay out concrete steps to resist indifference with love. • the inner struggle between generosity and complacency • why Lazarus is named and the rich man is forgotten • indifference as the real sin, not wealth •...

Every religion has a symbol at its center of worship. Christianity's symbol is the cross - not glory or triumph, but sacrifice. The resurrection means nothing unless we first pass through the cross; Christianity doesn't escape suffering, it transforms it. • Jesus makes the breathtaking claim that nothing can come before him - not family, wealth, power, or even life itself • Lukewarm Chri...

Jesus shifts our focus from wondering how many will be saved to the more important question: are we personally striving to enter through the narrow gate? The path to salvation requires more than just attendance at religious services; it demands a transformed life and genuine relationship with Christ. • The narrow gate represents Christ himself, and passing through means allowing him to reshape our...

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross invites us to see how Jesus transformed an instrument of torture into the greatest symbol of victory and love. This challenging homily explores how the cross demands more than admiration—it calls for complete discipleship in a world where violence often replaces dialogue. • The cross was Rome's way of saying "your life doesn't matter&quo...

Father Vigoa and Michelle unpack Jesus's challenging words from Luke 13 about the narrow gate and what it means to be counted among "the few" who enter it. • Striving for salvation requires intentional spiritual practices and consistent effort • Being "sacramentally near but spiritually far" happens when we attend religious services without interior transformation • Confes...

Father Vigoa and Michelle Lopez unpack prioritizing our relationship with Christ above everything else. • The cross is Christianity's defining symbol – not a crown or throne – reflecting our call to embrace suffering • Lukewarm faith seeks blessings without surrender and lacks urgency in spiritual growth • Jesus demands first place in our hearts, reordering all other relationships properly •...

Two powerful stories of conversion intertwine in this reflection: John Newton's transformation from slave trader to hymn writer, and Jesus' parable of the dishonest steward. Both narratives illustrate the urgent need to recognize our life's trajectory and act decisively when we see ourselves heading toward spiritual destruction. • John Newton experienced God's grace during a st...

We explore the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and its powerful message for today's polarized culture, especially in light of recent violence on college campuses. The cross teaches us that responding to violence with love is not weakness but the ultimate strength. • The cross was meant to be a symbol of defeat but became the greatest sign of love and salvation • Christianity doesn&a...