19th Sunday 2025 - Will

Our Lord tells us that He is going to come again, and to do His will. How can we know His will - through relationship with Him and the Church, and studying the Catechism and Church teaching. www.mercywithteeth.com #Catholic #homily #Scripture #GospelOfTheDay #mercywithteeth Sign up to have podcasts and blog posts emailed to you: https://ift.tt/c5ohCVD Give feedback at https://forms.gle/gGhujv39g43BUxmK6 Readings are found at https://ift.tt/Dc536q2 Great News: True Mercy Has Teeth: A Catholic Journey to Forgiveness and Healing is now available on Amazon and Direct from the Publisher. I have set up a discount code valid until August 31 $29.95 $24.95 Hard cover https://ift.tt/5YD6XbL $20.99 $16.99 Paperback https://ift.tt/NVjRptk
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A short excerpt from my book, "True Mercy Has Teeth"

In my chapter inviting the reader to examine memories, and ultimately seeking the Lord's healing, I reflect on Lamentations 3 (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/lamentations/3). It is a passage that is suggested for Masses of Christian Burial, because it invites the listener to trust in the Lord. But I think its beauty and power is larger.

The writer of Lamentations was no stranger to suffering. In chapter 3, his grief is so intense that he describes himself as filled with bitterness, cast into the dust, and unable to recall happiness. But then something changes. He pauses. He chooses to remember rightly: that the Lord’s mercies are not exhausted but are new every morning. 

That shift - from despair to hope - comes not from his circumstances changing, but from his memory being redirected to truth.

 

This is what the word in the New Testament for repentance, metanoia, really means. When we hear repentance in the Gospels, too often we think it is nothing more than turning away from sin. It is that, but so much more. It means to have a change of mind, not in the sense of a simple decision, but to see the world in a new way, to see it as God sees it. It means to put off the darkened intellect, to combat the concupiscences that tempt us, and to see the world as it truly is. It is to move from bad to good, and from good to God.

 

This “change of mind” is key to everything that follows in this book. Without a desire to be changed, there is no healing. And that healing begins with our memory, as the writer of Lamentations understood.

18th Sunday 2025 - Stewards

Our Lord is asked a to talk to someone about inheritance, and He takes the opportunity to speak on greed. Are we stewards of what the Lord has given? www.mercywithteeth.com #Catholic #homily #Scripture #GospelOfTheDay #mercywithteeth Sign up to have podcasts and blog posts emailed to you: https://ift.tt/fa7wnxN Give feedback at https://forms.gle/gGhujv39g43BUxmK6 Readings are found at https://ift.tt/JRUDrC4 Great News: True Mercy Has Teeth: A Catholic Journey to Forgiveness and Healing is now available on Amazon Direct from the Publisher, I set up a discount code valid until August 31 $29.95 $24.95 Hard cover https://ift.tt/E631PeS $20.99 $16.99 Paperback https://ift.tt/yJ0ki6a
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Official Release Day!!!

It’s Here!

After five years of prayer and preparation—and two months of intense editing—the fruit of my prayer, observation, and study is finally ready. True Mercy Has Teeth: A Catholic Journey to Forgiveness and Healing is now officially released and available for purchase online at multiple retailers.

Please consider leaving a review wherever you purchase the book. Reviews don’t just boost visibility—they help others discover a resource that I believe can bring healing and hope. Promoting a book is no easy task, but your words can be a powerful help in spreading this message.

A Note for Early Readers:
A few early release copies included a small error, where I was perhaps a bit too eager in something liturgical! If you received one of those editions, here’s what I’d ask:

• Send me the page number and description of the error you found

• Let me know where you posted your review

As a thank you to the first person who responds, I will send a signed hardcover edition of the book. (If your copy doesn’t have the ISBN of the hardcover edition, you may be holding one of those early versions.)

Thank you to everyone who has prayed, supported, and encouraged me through this journey. I pray this book will be a companion to all who struggle with forgiveness, healing, and the hard work of living mercy with strength.

Here are all the places that the book is available online. In a few weeks, I will have some copies of the paperback and hardcover editions. I set up a temporary discount code through IngramSpark, the printer. 

$24.95 ($5 off) Hard cover https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=q4gGW5gFGHUIPIFjyK41hz72nEy3tqWbI8EwiDVq7p7

$16.99 ($4 off) Paperback https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=7EgPqgkHHMRjrjP2TDYYlUxhPOYnlGmRupCMXCNarIG

Valid only through August 31, 20025

My Blog: https://blog.mercywithteeth.com

Amazon’s Paperback and Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJ5NW8C4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Amazon’s Hard Cover: https://www.amazon.com/True-Mercy-Has-Teeth-Forgiveness/dp/B0FK8DJZDQ?ref_=ast_author_dp

Barnes and Noble, Hard Cover, Paperback, and EPUB/eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/true-mercy-has-teeth-todd-j-petersen/1147861657?ean=9798999478108

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=true+mercy+has+teeth

St. Patrick’s Guild: https://stpatricksguild.com/true-mercy-has-teeth-by-fr-petersen/

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/true-mercy-has-teeth-a-catholic-journey-to-forgiveness-and-healing/3f24265252b30b96?ean=9798999478108&next=t

Terulia: https://tertulia.com/book/true-mercy-has-teeth-a-catholic-journey-to-forgiveness-and-healing-todd-j-petersen/9798999478108

#mercywithteeth

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Formats of my new Book, "True Mercy Has Teeth"

I’m excited to share that True Mercy Has Teeth: A Catholic Journey to Forgiveness and Healing is available in four formats, each containing the same full text—though the hardcover edition includes a few bonus elements.

Here’s a breakdown of the formats, where you can find them, and their pricing:

Paperback – $20.99

Available at:

• Amazon

• Barnes & Noble

• Tertulia.com

• Bookshop.org

• St. Patrick’s Guild

Hardcover – $29.95

Includes a few bonus reflections and extras not found in the other formats.
Available at:

• Amazon.com at a separate page at this time.

• Barnes & Noble

• Tertulia.com

• Bookshop.org

Kindle eBook – $8.99

Available exclusively on Amazon Kindle.

EPUB eBook – $8.99

Compatible with Nook and other e-readers.
Available at:

• Barnes & Noble

• Tertulia.com

• Bookshop.org

Direct-from-Author Discount

Beginning Friday, August 1, I will be able to offer the Paperback, Hardcover, and EPUB editions directly through my site at a discounted price—since these will ship straight from the printer with no middleman.
Stay tuned! Once those links go live, I’ll make a new post and add them to the sidebar at blog.mercywithteeth.com and my Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this journey. Please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased the book—it helps more than you know!

Win a free Hardcopy Edition of True Mercy Has Teeth

To celebrate the upcoming launch of True Mercy Has Teeth, I’m hosting a little challenge for early readers who received one of the first editions of the paperback (Amazon and Barnes and Noble).

Somewhere in the book, there’s a small but funny typo that snuck past me — and let’s just say, it unintentionally makes me sound a bit too eager about something liturgical.

Here’s the deal:

If you can find the typo and tell me the page number,

AND you’ve left a review (on Amazon or B&N — just keep the typo out of the review),

You’ll win a signed hardcover copy of the book!

Only the first correct entry will win — so act fast. Just email or DM me with your find (the error and page number) and where you posted your review.

And if you’re still reading, know how grateful I am. This book is a labor of love, healing, and hope. Thank you for being part of its journey.

With mercy (and a little humor),

Fr. Todd

www.mercywithteeth.com

17th Sunday 2025 - Prayer

Jesus is asked to teach the disciples to pray, no little thing. He teaches them that prayer is about relationship and trusting in God to help us do His will. www.mercywithteeth.com #Catholic #homily #Scripture #GospelOfTheDay #mercywithteeth Sign up to have podcasts and blog posts emailed to you: https://ift.tt/RIMc7s2 Give feedback at https://ift.tt/Fq1vxur Readings are found at https://ift.tt/LR9Q2Xj Great News: True Mercy Has Teeth: A Catholic Journey to Forgiveness and Healing is now available on Amazon, and soon to be other places. See my website MercyWithTeeth.com for more information.
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