May 28^th 2017. ASCENSION SUNDAY

GOSPEL: Matthew 28:16-20

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

(Check us out on Facebook – Sunday Gospel Reflection)

GOSPEL: Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 Kieran’s Summary . . . A good father does not do everything for his child. He educates his child, gives structure to his life, and then eventually allows his child the space to act for himself. A good parent does not solve his child’s problems, but teaches him how to solve problems for himself. When Jesus ascends into heaven, he entrusts his mission to us, and gives us the space to follow him in freedom. He promises that he will be with us to the end of time, but not in a way that dominates our actions. He wants us to perform his works on earth, and he wants us to have the joy and privilege of performing them in freedom, exercising our own initiative and responsibility. St Augustine says that Christ becomes incarnate twice. The first time was when he took on flesh within the Virgin Mary. The second time is when he takes on “flesh” through his Church, through our actions, words and our way of relating to others. Christ gives us an incredible mission! He wishes us to immerse people in the relationship with the Father Son and Spirit, the relationship into which he has already called you and me. We ascend with Christ by leaving aside our human works and doing the works of God. We ascend with Christ by turning people’s hearts from this earthly life towards the heavenly Father. Satan has power over the things of the earth, but with Jesus on our side we can infuse the things of this earth with heaven. We can immerse people in the Father, Son and Spirit by inviting others into relationship with the Lord.

Christ goes away in order that his works might be done through us. He trusts us and therefore entrusts us with his mission. If he stayed with us and did everything for us, then that would be a sign that he didn’t trust us at all, nor really want us to have the freedom to imitate him fully. He goes away in order to be with us in a richer and more life-giving way

This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Ascension. The first reading gives the presentation of the event in Acts, and then we go on to read the account which is found at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew’s Gospel has a beautiful structure and he arranges the material in  such a way so that it culminates in this final encounter with Jesus: “Behold I am with you always, even to the end of time”. This seems to be in contrast to the account of the Ascension in the first reading which emphasizes the Lord’s departure. There is a paradox here which our liturgy on Sunday tries to hold in the correct tension: Christ ascends in order to remain with us. We must never forget the importance of the theme of “Christian ascent” - the notion of the person who progresses to the point where his works attain completion and bear fruit. In human relationships we have an analogous situation. A father encourages his son, helps him to grow, provides a structured life for him, until the son reaches the point where he is able to do things by himself. A good father is not one who solves his son’s problem but who teaches his son to solve the problems by himself. Jesus’ disciples have been given the mission to bring to others the life that they have received from him, and they must bring this life to the ends of the earth. They are assured that Christ will be with them until the end of the world, but our God is not a paternalistic father who distrusts us and tries to do things for us. At first Christ educates us, but once the time for mission comes, then he steps back and allows us to act.

God wishes us to bring his work to completion. He trusts us and remains with us, but allows us the space to serve him in freedom

When someone is shown trust, then he becomes “infused” with that trust. But if a person is not trusted, if they are continually being checked, then they are not given the space in which to be themselves or to grow. Psychologically, we grow when we are shown paternal trust. There are two extremes in education: the teacher who distrusts his pupil and does not allow him the space to make mistakes, which are so necessary for growth; and the teacher who shows no interest in his student, perhaps because he has little to teach or simply does not love his pupil. Jesus differs from these two extremes. He has so much to teach us, but allows us the room to act for ourselves. What liberty, but, at the same time, what care he shows us! God gives us everything, but he also gives us space for our own identities to be developed. “I am with you always to the end of the world, but I will allow you to act”. This is the great experience of all who spread the Gospel: the Lord is ever present and ready to help, but he gives us the wonderful experience of being protagonists in the works of God. God brings his works to completion through us.

Christ became incarnate by taking on our flesh. But now he can become incarnate again if we carry out his works in our flesh, our actions, our words, our way of relating to others.

St Augustine speaks of the two incarnations of Jesus. Firstly, Jesus takes on our flesh and becomes man. And then, in an analogous way, he takes on “flesh” by entrusting himself to the Church, entrusting his works to us. These works now pass through our hands, our bodies, our words, our relationships. What a great responsibility we have, what trust has been shown to us, what great help we have at our disposal!

We ascend with Christ by leaving aside our human works and doing the work of God. We ascend with Christ by turning people’s hearts from this earthly life towards the heavenly Father. Satan has power over the things of the earth, but with Jesus on our side we can infuse the things of this earth with heaven. We can immerse people in the Father, Son and Spirit by unveiling the true and eternal significance of things.

Christ ascends to heaven and gives us the space to follow him in freedom. We too are called to ascend with him. First of all we ascend from the old man to the new man, from works that are purely our own to works that have their origin in God. Secondly, we are called to bring people to God, to bring them from this earthly existence towards the heavenly Father. This process requires an experience of the power of Christ, a power that is not simply of this world. It is a power that unites heaven and earth. As Jesus says, “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me”. With Jesus, the things of this world are infused with heaven, infused with paradise. But the powers of this world are of this world and nothing more. During the temptations of Christ in the desert, Satan claims to have power over the things of this earth. And this is not mistaken. It is a sad fact that the things of this world are under the sway of evil, violence, deceit. Who has the power to unite heaven and earth? To make heaven manifest in the things of this world? The one who seeks to dominate others? The one who uses violence? No! Rather, it is the one who fills things with divine love, who unveils the hidden divine significance of things. This is our mission! To immerse people in the Father, Son and Spirit. The term “baptize” refers to full immersion. To take people where they are now and to help their hearts take the road of ascent to heaven, to show them that they can ascend to the Father through these very things. This is our wonderful and important mission.

Jesus bestows power upon us, but it is not a worldly power; it is not a power than can be imposed on others. This transforming power of living in relationship with Father, Son and Spirit can be experienced by people who are defeated, sick, or in prison. Christ gives us this power and bestows upon us the ability to extend it to others, as we call others to live in relationship with him.

Jesus ascends to heaven so that we can become the road to heaven for others on this earth. As the Our Father says, “Your will be done of earth as it is in heaven”. What a wonderful life the Lord Jesus call us to! What incredible, beautiful, consoling things we have been promised! But we must be careful. It is not worldly power that the Lord wishes to bestow upon us. It is not a power that imposes itself on others. The power that the Lord gives can be experienced by a sick person in his hospital bed. The power of Christ can be lived by a person behind prison bars, or a person that has been defeated in worldly terms. It is the power to encounter heaven in this place where I find myself, in this sick bed, in this prison, in this setback, in this reality. This is the power that the Lord Jesus bestows on us, and, incredibly, enables us to extend to others.

May 21^st 2017. SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

GOSPEL: John 14:15-21

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

(Check us out on Facebook – Sunday Gospel Reflection)

GOSPEL: John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father, 
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . We are inclined to think that the discovery of truth involves intelligent reasoning, investigation and analysis. We think that the human being is a source of truth, that he is capable of working out the truth by himself. But Jesus tells us that the truth is something that we must receive. It comes from without. It does not take intelligence to comprehend it; rather it requires openness so that we are able to welcome it. It involves the reception of a person. How do we receive this Holy Spirit? Jesus tells us that he will not leave us orphans. He goes away so that the Spirit will be sent, the Spirit that makes us children of the Father. This Spirit is not received by rational reasoning, no more that you can get to know me by just thinking in an intellectual way about me. You will only get to know me if you allow me to reveal myself to you. We can only receive the gift of the Spirit if we allow the Spirit to reveal himself to us. Once we do that, then we are entering into a relationship of love with him. Jesus says, “If you love me then you will keep my commandments”. This is not a moralistic threat by Jesus: Show me you love me by keeping my commandments! Rather, it expresses the truth that if I allow myself to be led into a relationship of love with Christ, then I will be led away from sin and will keep his commandments naturally.

We think that the discovery of truth is a matter of intelligent reasoning, but Jesus tells us that the reception of truth involves allowing God to reveal himself to me. The knowledge of the truth involves the docile reception of a person.

In the Gospel, Jesus says that he will go away and then come back again by means of the gift of the Spirit. In this way he will be with us always. This definitive gift, we are told, is something that the world cannot receive because it neither sees nor knows him. According to the world-view that has arisen in our rationalistic times, the human being is a producer of truth. Through his understanding and investigation, man discovers the truth. It is something within the reach of his rational capacities. But Jesus tells us that the truth is a gift, something from without that must be welcomed. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who comes from the Father and the Son, is the source of truth. I cannot come up with the truth by myself. We often think that the problems concerning truth are problems requiring comprehension and analysis. But Jesus tells us that truth involves the welcoming of a person! Let us consider a simple example. Say that someone analyses us in a purely cerebral way, using only the powers of his intellect, and then tells us that he understands us. We would be justified in feeling that we have not truly been understand. How often we hear people say, “You don’t understand me!” To understand another person we must allow the other to reveal himself. For me to know who you are, you must first show me. And that is how it is with God, and with everyone else. If we do not permit the other to come close to us, to reveal himself to us, then we remain in a process of purely speculative reasoning. The truth is something that comes to us. The problem is not how intelligent we are in understanding it, but how simply we can receive it, how willing we are to allow God to speak to us.

Jesus goes away but then comes back to us through the gift of the Spirit. This is a gift that transforms us from being orphans to being brothers and sisters of Jesus and children of the Father

Jesus tells us that he will not leave us orphans. What does this mean? If we are in a relationship of sonship with the Father then we are not people who begin with ourselves and finish with ourselves. Jesus does not want to leave us orphans because he wants to give us the gift of his relationship as Son of the Father, a filial relationship that is evident in very act and every aspect of his existence. This beautiful state of being is the opposite of solitude. It is something that the world cannot achieve on its own.

If we love Jesus, this means we have been led into a relationship with him. In so doing we will have been led away from vice and so will naturally keep his commandments

The first words of this Gospel are, “If you love me you will keep my commandments”. Often the sense of this is turned upside down and it is understood in a moralistic way. “If you love me then keep my commandments!” Like this it sounds like a scolding. But a more coherent reading would be, “The one who loves me keeps my commandments because when we love someone then we naturally wish to do that which the person desires”. The key to this entire discourse is not about being righteous or perfect or having a clear conscience. The key is love. It is not about a preoccupation with keeping certain rules or changing certain habits. Rather it is something that begins by focussing on the relationship with Jesus, that seeks to allow him to reveal himself to us. Then, once we experience how good it is to be with Christ, then the good actions and the keeping of his commandments follow. If we allow ourselves to be led into a relationship of love, into reciprocal joy, then it won’t be any problem to move away from vice! This Sunday we focus on allowing the development of this relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the relationship between the Father and the Son. May the Holy Spirit descend upon us and transform us from orphans to children of God!

May 14^th 2017. Fifth Sunday of Easter

GOSPEL: John 14:1-12

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

(Check us out on Facebook – Sunday Gospel Reflection)

GOSPEL: John 14:1-12

Jesus said to his disciples

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. 
Trust in God still, and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father’s house; 
if there were not, I should have told you. 
I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place, 
I shall return to take you with me; 
so that where I am you may be too.
You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’
 Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too. 
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’

Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied’. ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me? ‘

‘To have seen me is to have seen the, Father, 
so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father 
and the Father is in me? 
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: 
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say that 
I am in the Father and the Father is in me; 
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.

I tell you most solemnly, 
whoever believes in me 
will perform the same works as I do myself, 
he will perform even greater works, 
because I am going to the Father.’

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 Kieran’s Summary . . . The readings this Sunday speak of our unique roles within the body of the Church. The Church is not a regiment of soldiers but an organic body in which we are all called to exercise a unique role. When Jesus saves us, he is not just dragging us bureaucratically over the line into heaven. He has gone ahead of us to prepare a special place for us in his body, the Church. We have a journey to undertake, a goal to achieve. Thomas complains to Jesus that we cannot follow Jesus if we do not know the final destination where he intends to lead us to. Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Following Jesus does not involve big projects, strategies, or abstract knowledge of where we are going. It involves a personal relationship with Christ, who is life. If we unite ourselves to Jesus, then we are heading surely towards the Father, the author of all things. Thomas says, “Show us the Father and then we will be happy”. Thomas, like many of us, wants an instant arrival at the final destination, but we cannot arrive at the Father without going through Jesus, seeking him, getting to know him, following him, living in relationship with him. At the end of the Gospel Jesus makes a remarkable statement. He says that he is going to the Father and that we will do even greater works than he (Jesus) has done. The Church, through its saints, martyrs and ordinary people, has extended the works of Christ to the ends of the earth. If we live in Christ, then we live the life of the Trinity and our works will begin to manifest all the creativity and power of the Father.

The Church is an organism in which we are called by the Lord to exercise a unique role

In the first reading from Acts we hear how the apostles chose seven deacons to take care of the distribution of the goods of the early Church. The Church is a living organism, not a regiment of identical soldiers. Everyone has a unique role or position within the kingdom of heaven. Some are entrusted with the ministry of the word, which gives sense to everything and lies at the heart of the Church; others are called to serve and to use their hands in practical ways. The different ministries support and confirm each other. The apostles preach well and thus inspire the deacons to serve well. Because the deacons serve well, the word preached by the apostles is received more powerfully.

In saving us, Jesus calls us to fulfil a unique mission

One of the themes this Sunday is that of our position in the kingdom. Jesus says, “There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too.” What does the Lord prepare for us? Salvation of a bureaucratic sort? Does he save us en masse and herd us over the line into heaven? No, he gives us a position, an identity within the organism of the body of the Church. Through the salvation won for us by Christ, we are offered a special place in this body. Salvation is not of a numerical, impersonalised sort. Each one of us is given a special ministry, a unique work to accomplish within the Church.

Where are we going? How do we arrive at eternal life? Thomas wants a detailed itinerary from Jesus, but all we need to do is enter into relationship with the Lord. Uniting ourselves to him is the way to life

How do we arrive at our proper place within this new life? Thomas says, “Lord we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Thomas is looking for the itinerary of the journey, but things are not like that with Jesus! The Lord is not a tour operator who gives us a detailed programme for the journey. Jesus wants to establish a personal relationship with us. He is the way. He is that which we must seek to understand. He is the road. Our goal is not some distant place but the objective of being with him and getting to know him better. This is the road that leads to life! We must seek, him, get to know him, and receive life from him. Christianity is not about accomplishing projects, but about having a relationship with Christ. Our goal might be heaven, but it is always Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. We arrive at life not by studying abstract things, but by following him, being with him.

If we remain with Jesus then we will go surely towards the Father, the author of life. In every fibre of his being, in every act, Jesus is Son of the Father. That is his identity. If we remain with him then we too become children of the Father and oriented towards him.

All of these elements – way, truth and life – are related to knowledge of the Father. Let us recall that Jesus - in every fibre of his being, in every aspect of his person, in every condition that he assumes, in every act that he performs, when he teaches, when he is crucified, when he is risen – he is always fundamentally Son of the Father. Everything that he does reveals the Father. Philip, whose name is of Greek origin, asks Jesus to show them the Father. He wants to arrive at the destination instantly, without having to do the intermediary things of following Jesus and seeking to comprehend him. Philip is saying, “Let’s get straight to the nucleus of what we are about here!” Jesus replies, “Have you not understood that everything I do reveals the Father? If you want to know the Father then you need to get to know me”. The only way to arrive at the Father is to go through Jesus.

If we truly live in Jesus then we will accomplish incredible works because Jesus has gone to the Father

The point is that the means of arriving at our true position in life does not involve strategies or projects on our part. It does not involve merely right comprehension nor efficient organisation. Rather it requires a relationship, a right relationship with Jesus. In everything we do, we must enter into relation with him. United to Christ we live as children of God. Jesus, in everything he does, is heading towards the Father. The Father is in Christ and Christ is in the Father. If we remain with him, then we become inserted into the life of the Trinity. At the end of this Gospel passage, Jesus says, "I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus is in the Father. Therefore whoever remains with Jesus begins to demonstrate all the creativity of God. The works of the Church, of extraordinary saints and martyrs who suffered in an illuminating manner, are even “greater” than those of Jesus’ earthly life in the sense that they are more extended. Jesus lived a brief life that was confined to Galilee and Judea, but his body has now gone into all the world, to the ends of the earth. These “greater works” of the Church derive from living in him. Living in him, in fact, is the greatest work we can do.

May 7th 2017. FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Gospel: JOHN 10:1-10

                                                                                                                                                                             

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

(Check us out on Facebook – Sunday Gospel Reflection)

GOSPEL: John 10:1-10

Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . In the first reading, the words of Peter regarding Christ cut his listeners to the heart. The Gospel reading speaks of a Good Shepherd who knows how to speak to the hearts of his sheep. There are two types of shepherds, Jesus tells us: the Good Shepherd who speaks to us and leads us to have abundant life; and the imposters who do not speak to us at the profoundest level of our beings and do not lead us to life. How often we live life on a superficial level! We listen to the voices of the flesh, the world, idolatry and evil. These voices lead us by short-cuts to a “life” that is not authentic, to a state of mediocrity. Conversion involves coming into contact with that which is most true and meaningful about ourselves, and it is only Christ who speaks to us on this level. Formation of the heart involves learning to discern the voice of God within us. When we evangelise we must strive to speak to the heart of the person. When we pray, we must seek to allow the word of God to find our hearts, to speak to us at the level of the heart. This Easter, let us allow our hearts to be pierced by the voice of the Good Shepherd who wishes to lead us to abundant life.

In the first reading we hear of listeners being touched at the level of the heart by Peter’s words

This Sunday’s Gospel is that of the Good Shepherd whilst the first reading is from the second chapter of Acts. In this well-known passage from Acts, Peter tells the crowd that God has made the Jesus they have crucified both Lord and Christ. The listeners are “cut to the heart” and ask what they need to do in order to change. In Scripture, the “heart” is not simply the centre of sentimental life. More often it refers to the deepest identity of the person. It is the location of thoughts and sentiments, but also the spirit of the person, that which is most pure, noble and true. Thus, Peter’s words touch his listeners at the deepest level of their being – they are wounded at their most intimate level.

Too often, we live life on a superficial level. The bad shepherds are those “thieves and robbers” who lead us astray and dissuade us from living life at the deepest level

There is something important that we need to remind ourselves. It is very easy to remain on a superficial level of life. It is relatively simple to go through our daily lives without ever entering deeply into the zone of the heart, without arriving at the core of our own being. In the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke, we are told at one point that the wayward son “re-entered into himself”. It is a sad fact that we spend much of our existence detached from what is true and most important about ourselves. Conversion is a process that brings us to the central nucleus of our own being. It involves an awakening from a state of listlessness and apathy in which “thieves and robbers” can keep us at a superficial level of living, keep us separated from the freedom within our hearts, the deepest part of our being. Our Lord Jesus is the one who knows how to speak to our hearts, to that within us which is most true. The other voices coming from idolatry, evil, the flesh and the world, are the voices of that which is really alien to us. We only listen to these voices when we are not in contact with ourselves, with our deepest truth. Jesus permits the person to return to himself. He pierces or touches the heart so that the person begins to live on the level of the heart.

True life is lived at the level of our hearts, the hearts that only Jesus knows how to speak to. If we do not live at this level, we are living a life of mediocrity. Only Christ can speak to us at the deepest level of our being and help us to have life more abundantly

The truth is that all too often we betray ourselves. We are the “thieves and robbers” of our own existence. Jesus leads us to ourselves and away from traps and deceptions. He leads us out of the system of existence that does not bring authentic life. When we seek to evangelise we must strive to speak to the heart of the person. When we try to pray, we must seek to allow the word of God to find our hearts, to speak to us at the level of the heart. It is only at this level that we behold that which is truly important. We return to our priorities and to that which is beautiful and valuable within ourselves. The “life” that we often live is a mere shortcut that does not pass through the centre of our being. It is a form of mediocrity. Fundamentally, a person who does not convert to Christ is living a mediocre existence. He is not himself but something much less. Jesus is the shepherd who, instead of focussing on leading us away from danger, is dedicated to leading us to ourselves. Jesus does not just lead us out of this grey world of the things that we make do with, the things that help us survive and nothing more: he is the voice that draws us into the depths and speaks to us as our Lord and God. The business of formation of hearts involves helping people distinguish what the Lord is saying to them. When we manage to discern the Lord speaking to our heart, it is not that we discover his voice for the first time, but we recognize his voice. It is a voice that is there within our hearts. It is the truth about me. Only at this level can I feel authentic before him. During this time of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be carried away from the grey areas of self-deception that we too often inhabit. Let us allow is words to touch our hearts, to be pierced by them so that we begin living an authentic life.