"Who brought you out of the land of Egypt?” The reading from the Book of Exodus uses this phrase three times, and each differently.

How many of you binge-watch your favorite shows? A recent survey noted that the crowd-pleasing series Breaking Bad is usually viewed in no less than three-episode increments. As a Bryan Cranston fan, I admit: One episode was never enough!

By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.”

Former police officer Andrew Collins was, in his own words, a “full-blown dirty cop.” For five years, he was a narcotics investigator in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and he spent 18 months in prison for corruption crimes that included falsifying reports that sent innocent people to jail.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Mercy is the stuff you give to people that don’t deserve it.