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
• Embracing our crosses transforms suffering into redemptive experiences
• St. Maximilian Kolbe's story demonstrates how faith can transform even the darkest circumstances
• Identifying your specific cross and bringing it honestly before God is the first step toward transformation
• Young people should use easier seasons to build strong spiritual foundations for future challenges
• Priests carry the weight of others' crosses while learning to surrender these burdens to Christ

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
• Confession serves as a critical first step toward authentic conversion and relationship with Christ
• Prayer must evolve from memorized formulas to intimate, spontaneous conversation with God
• Christian joy doesn't depend on circumstances but on the unchanging truth of Christ's resurrection
• Spiritual growth requires "showing up" even when we don't feel like it
• Community involvement in parish life helps us "catch" holiness from others
• The narrow gate represents a path that requires effort but leads to eternal paradise

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" but Jesus transformed it into a proclamation of love
• A cross is not a decoration but a demand that asks if we will follow Jesus completely
• When violence enters public life and threatens free speech, we betray the cross
• Recent political violence reminds us that truth needs witnesses, not weapons
• Students are challenged to speak truth with love rather than retreat into silence
• Personal suffering, when carried with Christ, becomes a doorway to eternal life
• Love, not hatred or violence, always has the last word

Hail O Holy Cross, our only hope.