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.

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 lives
• Throughout history, Christians have wrestled with balancing God's mercy with our responsibility
• Previous generations sometimes portrayed God as a harsh judge, while today many assume salvation is automatic
• True Christianity isn't a label but a daily friendship with Christ expressed through prayer, penance, and charity
• Like athletes training hard to win, we must strive in our spiritual lives without comparing ourselves to others
• God's discipline isn't punishment but training that helps us walk toward the narrow gate
• The journey is demanding but not impossible—Christ and the saints have walked it before us

Strive to recommit yourself to the daily work of holiness so that one day, by God's mercy, you too may pass through that narrow gate and enter into the joy of his eternal kingdom.

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 Christianity admires Jesus from afar but never really follows him to the cross
• St. Maximilian Kolbe exemplifies carrying the cross by sacrificing his life for another prisoner at Auschwitz
• Everyone has a cross to carry - whether through illness, forgiveness, or other daily struggles
• The cross is not about despising life but about ordering our loves properly, with Christ first
• The world needs witnesses who burn with Christ's love, not "secret service Catholics" with lukewarm faith
• The cross is not a symbol of defeat but of victory, not despair but hope, the doorway to eternal life

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 storm at sea, revealing the horror of his participation in the slave trade
• Newton's conversion led him to become an Anglican priest and write "Amazing Grace," reflecting his personal testimony
• Jesus' parable of the dishonest steward isn't about condoning dishonesty but about acting with urgency when we see our lives falling apart
• Conversion comes from Latin "convertere" meaning to turn around - exactly what we must do repeatedly in our spiritual lives
• Many Christians assume they're "doing fine" but fail to examine inconsistencies between Sunday worship and weekday living
• True discipleship requires intentional choices, not passive drifting
• Salvation demands seeing clearly where our lives are headed and turning around while there's still time

Don't delay your conversion. Act now, because we don't have all the time in the world.

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't offer escape from suffering but provides a way to transform it
• Campus ministry creates safe spaces for students to ask questions and wrestle with truth
• Truth is not something to impose but something to witness through how we live
• Speaking truth with love means creating space for others to grow without judgment
• Violence against speech threatens truth itself and undermines the purpose of education
• Every fear, sin, and sorrow was transformed by Christ on the cross
• Love has the final word - this is the message of the cross that gives freedom from anxiety