Preaching with My Scars: Homilies from a Wounded but Graced Life

Preaching with My Scars: Homilies from a Wounded but Graced Life

Rev. Fr. Norman G. Vitug

2026 Best Homiletics Book — 20th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards

Awarded as the 2026 Best Homiletics Book during the 20th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards, held on September 10, 2026, at the SMX Convention Center Manila in Pasay City, as part of the Manila International Book Fair. The recognition was received by the author, Rev. Fr. Norman G. Vitug, together with Dr. Richard D. Sanchez, President of ETCOR Educational Research Center, the book’s publisher.

 

WHEN WOUNDS BECOME PLACES OF GRACE

Preaching with My Scars: Homilies from a Wounded but Graced Life is a collection of reflections born from years of priesthood, preaching, prayer, pastoral encounters, suffering, loss, and grace. Rather than presenting the preacher as someone who speaks from a position of perfection, Rev. Fr. Norman G. Vitug presents preaching as something formed through the realities of human life. The book grew from homilies delivered in churches, hospitals, funeral homes, parish gatherings, and quiet conversations with people searching for meaning amid their struggles.

The central image of the book is the scar. A scar is evidence that a wound existed, but it is also evidence that healing has taken place. In the book, scars become a metaphor for the experiences that shape people: grief, disappointment, failure, doubt, loneliness, loss, broken relationships, weakness, and the difficult moments when faith is tested. The author does not suggest that these wounds simply disappear. Instead, he explores how grace can enter precisely through the places where people recognize their vulnerability.

The author's own priestly journey provides the foundation. Before becoming a preacher, his life was already being formed by family, education, vocation, struggle, and experiences that tested his sense of identity and calling. His seminary formation was not presented as a perfectly smooth journey; there were moments of difficulty and even suspension that caused him to question whether he was truly meant for the priesthood. These experiences became part of the formation that later influenced the way he understood ministry and preaching.

Priesthood also brought Fr. Vitug into close contact with the wounds of others. He encountered people at hospital bedsides, wakes, confessionals, parish communities, and other fragile moments of life. At the same time, he experienced personal losses, including the deaths of his mother, sister, and father. These experiences deepened his understanding that preaching cannot remain detached from the realities people carry.

This is why the book does not begin with abstract theological arguments. It begins with life.

Its first section, “Where the Scars Began: The Wounds Through Which Grace First Entered,” explores vulnerability, faith, identity, hidden struggles, and the possibility of encountering God in one's wounds. Among its early reflections are Naked Before God, Believing Through Scars, A Face You Can Show God, When Silence Hurts, and Dust Loved by God.

One of the recurring insights is that people do not have to hide their woundedness from God. In Believing Through Scars, the experience of Thomas becomes a reflection on doubt and pain. Thomas asks to see Christ's wounds, and the homily interprets this encounter as an invitation to recognize that Christ is not distant from human suffering. The wounded person can encounter a wounded Christ.

The message is both intimate and universal:

God does not wait for people to become perfect before meeting them.

The book therefore speaks especially to readers who are carrying something they cannot easily explain—a grief, a failure, a disappointment, a secret wound, or a question they have been afraid to bring before God.