Friday, 28 March 2025

      SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTION

March 30 2025. The Fourth Sunday of Lent

Exclusive to this website English translation of a great homily from Vatican Radio for this Sunday's Gospel. The homilist, Fr Fabio Rosini, is a renowned speaker and fills the Roman basilicas with young people!




Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!
"Captivating."
— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”
— Cardinal Seán Brady, 
Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."
— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."
— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."
— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

Thursday, 20 March 2025

March 23 2025.  Third Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL   Luke 13, 1-9

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

 

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

 
GOSPEL   Luke 13, 1-9

Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’

He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”‘

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. How do we make sense of the tragic events of our day? Is someone responsible for them? Jesus shows us that there is a right way and a wrong way to respond to such happenings.

Jesus is asked to make sense of the tragic events that happen in his day. Such events are part and parcel of every age. In response, Jesus tells the parable of the man with the fig tree. It has produced no fruit, but the labourer pleads that it be given an opportunity for one more year, while he digs around it and manures it. We too are being given an opportunity in the tragic events that are being presented to us on a daily basis! The second reading on Sunday (from St Paul to the Corinthians) recounts how the Israelites were taken out of Egypt and nourished by the Lord on spiritual food. But they failed to respond in a way that pleased the Lord and they were struck down. St Paul says that this is an example to us that “we might not desire evil things”. The parable of the fig tree, similarly, challenges us to respond in the right way to the difficult challenges that face us.

 

2. The tragedies of our time are invitations to conversion and to fruitful living.

The second reading recounts the story of Moses and the burning bush. The Lord tells Moses that he has seen the oppression and suffering of his people and that he intends to liberate them. Similarly, the negative chronicle that we read in the Gospel regarding the cruelty of the Romans and the tragedy of the tower are not just news to be processed but invitations to conversion. Moses approaches the burning bush with curiosity, but the Lord tells him to take off his shoes for it is sacred ground. When we hear the negative headlines in the news, we too are asked to not remain at the level of curiosity. We are to search for the sacred and to bear fruit. The facts that we hear call upon us to respond in a fruitful way. History is not a collection of facts but a series of opportunities to convert and bear fruit.

 

3. Jesus is the merciful keeper of the vineyard. He digs around us and wants us to be fruitful. In the difficulties of our lives, let us respond according to Christ’s grace.

The Lord Jesus is the merciful keeper of the vineyard. He has descended to proclaim to us a time of grace. He has dug around us with his wisdom, fertilized us with his blood, called upon us to mature and respond with love to the things that happen to us in history. When these difficult or challenging things happen, our task is not to understand why these events have happened, but to know how to respond to them. In fact, Jesus tells us explicitly in this passage not to ask if such and such a thing happened because of the subjective guilt of such and such a person. Rather, what we are asked to do when we see these tragedies is to repent and be converted. This third Sunday of Lent, what we are called to do is to consider these things that happen in our lives and all around us, and to respond with love, the love that God places within us, not with some sort of forced muscular reaction. Let us respond by listening to the inspirations that God gives us. We are asked to not let these events get on top of us, but to respond fruitfully by living according to Christ.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

Some people approach Jesus and ask him what he thinks of the tragic news story regarding the Galileans who were killed by Pilate. In one fell swoop, Jesus addresses two mistaken attitudes of these people: firstly, it is wrong to conclude that the sinfulness of the Galileans led to their misfortune; and, secondly, it is wrong to look on tragedies such as this in a detached way without our hearts being moved. We must be converted or we will perish the same way! In today’s culture we browse news stories as if we were in a supermarket. We behave as detached observers and use these stories to titillate our curiosity. Jesus is warning us that the painful facts that these stories relate are a call to change our hearts, to remind us that the time for conversion is short. He makes this point with the parable of the fig tree. The tree is given just one more year. It must bear fruit by then or it will be cut down. Jesus is telling us that he wants to see fruit from us. We must cease acting like detached spectators in the world. The tragedies in our news stories are a call to radical conversion. Just like those victims in the news, our time is coming soon and we will be asked to give an account of ourselves. The news is not a commodity for recreation! It is a call to conversion, to truth, to fraternity, to service.




Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!
"Captivating."
— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”
— Cardinal Seán Brady, 
Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."
— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."
— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."
— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

Thursday, 13 March 2025

March 16th 2025.  Second Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL   Luke 9:28B-36

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

 

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

 
GOSPEL   Luke 9:28B-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
"Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. Christ unveils who he is and who we are called to be.

In the first reading from Chapter 15 of Genesis, the Lord tells Abraham to look at the stars to appreciate how abundantly the promise to him will be fulfilled. In contemplating this visible aspect of nature, Abraham is shown something that is not yet visible – his countless number of descendants. Similarly, the three disciples are called by Jesus out of their normal situation and taken up a mountain where they see Jesus transfigured. Like Abraham, they behold with their eyes something that points to a deeper spiritual reality. They see that Jesus is not only a man but also God. As with Abraham, this is a revelation of the greatness of humanity which hasn’t yet come to completion. In Christ is manifested the glory to which every man and woman is called. As Vatican II says, Christ reveals man to himself. The root of “to reveal” is to take away the veil covering something.

 

2. The revelation of the identity of Christ occurs in the context of contemplating the Scriptures

The Transfiguration reveals to us who Christ is and who we are, but it happens in a very particular context, that of prayer. Moses and Elijah appear with Christ. Moses is the traditional author of the first five books of the Bible, whilst Elijah is the greatest of the prophets. What does this meeting signify? Jesus is the key for unveiling the true meaning of the Scriptures (which are fulfilled in him), and, at the same time, the Scriptures help to unveil the mystery of Christ. What is discussed by Jesus, Moses and Elijah? His “exodus”, namely, his passion, death and resurrection, the redemption that would be wrought by his suffering and death. This encounter between Christ and Scripture, the meaning of his suffering, death and resurrection - this is precisely what we are called to contemplate during Lent. We are called to prayer, to contemplate Christ and to find in him the key to the Scriptures. This is a beautiful thing so it is no wonder that Peter says, “It is beautiful to be here". But what Peter says is incomplete. He has seen the glorious end of the journey, but the journey itself still has to be undertaken. We are called to glory, but must walk the walk! The cloud evokes the Exodus when the Lord was present in the cloud and the people followed it.

 

3. Our Lenten practices help to unveil the mystery of Christ and the light we are called to follow

All of this assists us on our journey towards Easter and towards true glory. Our Christian journey is not one of  ethical perfection or obedience to religious norms. No, our journey is towards the light revealed to us in the Scriptures.  The Lenten practices of fasting, prayer and almsgiving are paschal acts. Through them, we are transported to the new life, the life of Easter. We were created and called to take possession of our complete dignity. This Lent, let us walk towards the glory of Christ and towards our own glory, towards this invisible dimension of things. Through these Lenten practices, through acts of service, this hidden reality is unveiled and we arrive at the light of Christ.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

This Sunday’s Gospel recounts the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter responds with the words, “Lord it is beautiful to be here”. Sometimes we think of God negatively, but when we truly know him then we discover his inexpressible beauty. But this beauty can only be seen when we have undergone a journey, when we have climbed a mountain. What mountain must we climb in order to behold the beauty of God? Ours is a culture of leisure, entertainment and self-obsession. If the disciples fell asleep during the transfiguration, then how much more are we asleep today! We are constantly distracted by our cell phones and other superficial things. Lent is a journey to the root of authentic living. We often start reluctantly, unwilling to fast, pray or abstain from vice. The most superficial part of us wants to numb us against the discomfort of reality! A thousand arguments arise to postpone fasting or - worse - turn it into a diet in preparation for the beach season. And this only leads us into an even worse form of narcissism. This superficiality of ours is an obstacle to authentic beauty. If we are to behold the beauty of God then there is a mountain that must be climbed, a cloud that must be passed through, a sleep that must be resisted, a darkness that must be bravely borne, the same darkness that all men and women of holiness have passed through. We must battle gluttony, pride and greed, because in these things lies our ugliness. The beauty of God - and our own beauty - lies beyond the mountain of fasting, prayer and almsgiving.




Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!
"Captivating."
— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”
— Cardinal Seán Brady, 
Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."
— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."
— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."
— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

Sunday, 9 March 2025

March 9th 2025  First Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL Luke 4:1-13

 

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

 

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


GOSPEL Luke 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.’

Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, ‘I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’

Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said to him ‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says: “He will put his angels in charge of you to guard you,” and again, “They will hold you up on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.” '

But Jesus answered him, ‘It has been said: You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. The three temptations of Jesus in the desert show us the pathway to freedom from sin

As always on this first Sunday of Lent we read of the Lord’s battle against temptation in the desert. The key for interpreting this Gospel is given to us by the opening prayer which speaks of this period as a time of conversion, a passage from darkness to light, from a self-referential existence to a life of love. Conversion involves a battle in which we are led out of a condition of slavery. As Jesus says in Chapter 8 of John’s Gospel, those who commit sin are slaves to sin. We don’t stop sinning with a simple act of the will, since sin is an ingrained habit, a vice. We cannot overcome it by ourselves. Pride, jealousy, lust, gluttony, or whatever it may be, are overcome by following the same path that Jesus follows when he is confronted by the three temptations in the desert. But how are they relevant to us? Who among us is tempted to eat a stone for bread, or throw himself from the pinnacle of the Temple, or to exercise dominion over the world? However, in actual fact, these three tests do indeed show us the way to liberty.

 

2. Temptations, tests, are necessary, because they lead to deeper conversion. In moments of extremity we are invited to not content ourselves with banal solutions but to make a leap of faith in God.

In Luke’s account, it is the Holy Spirit who leads Jesus into the desert, into the place where he will be tempted by Satan. Temptations are necessary because it is only when something is tested that we discover if it is real or not. Every relationship – friendship, betrothal, marriage – needs moments of verification. Paradoxically, it is when our faith is put to the test that it is deepened and more radical conversion occurs. In the desert, Jesus arrives at the extremity of hunger. No human body can sustain a fast of that sort and Jesus wants to eat. It is at this point that the temptation arrives whereby things – even stones - become a function of my appetites. Satan says, “If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread”. If he is really the child of the Father, then – according to Satan – it should be manifested by his changing the stone into bread, as if divine sonship was all about satisfying an appetite at a moment of extreme need. Jesus, however, turns the thing on its head. It is at this extreme limit that one is invited not to live on bread alone but on every word that comes from God. Similarly, it is at the moment of limit that one becomes a true friend, a true parent, a true spouse, a true Christian. In times of extreme necessity, our hearts have the possibility not to stoop to banality but make a leap of faith in God.

 

3. It is in moments of extreme need that we have the opportunity to abandon ourselves as children to the Father. In Christ, sharing his sonship, that we can be transformed by these difficulties.

It is precisely because Jesus is Son that he does not content himself simply with bread. Because he is Son, he does not fling himself from the Temple expecting the Father to adjust to his whims in order to save him. Because he is Son, he does not bow to the powers of this world. There is only One, in fact, to whom he will bend. This is the pathway of conversion. In these difficult moments we become children of God. It is important to be attentive, however! Conversion is not simply about determined acts of the will on our part. Jesus has gone into the desert for us, and it is only with him and in him that we can respond to the Father as his children. Only in Christ do we discover a unique key for resolving the issues of our appetites, our possessiveness, the absolutisation of our own ideas and solutions. It is no longer about relying on our own powers, but walking with and through Christ, sharing in his sonship. We tend to be preoccupied with what we need to do, but this Lent what is more essential is what God is doing in us. As we go about our daily tasks and challenges this Lent, let us abandon ourselves in Christ to the Father. By his power we can begin to be transformed.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

The people of Israel were purified for forty years in the desert before entering the Promised Land. And when they did enter, as the first reading on Sunday states, Moses declared that they must always keep their priorities in order, offering the best of themselves continually to God. Lent too is a journey of purification, a journey out of ourselves, away from our egos. The temptations of Jesus described in the Gospel story are temptations to go in the opposite direction, temptations to use things, people, and even God himself in service of our own ego. The first temptation is to turn stone into bread. How often we try to misuse things so that they satisfy our appetites! We don’t care what the real value or the real identity of a thing is so long as it can be used to satisfy me. The second temptation is to acquire power and authority in earthly terms. We wish to control people and structures so that they serve my wishes. The third temptation is to use God to further my own projects and wishes. I don’t seek to follow the will of God. I “pray” and cajole and make bargains that he will aid me in promoting my interests. All of these temptations are filled with deceit. They promise everything and give us nothing. For if we use things for our own ends and do not appreciate their real value, then we not only lose those things, we also lose ourselves. If I go after power and authority in the service of my own ego, then I am really an abject slave to something else. My power and freedom are completely illusory. My real master is Satan. And if I try to use God to further my own interests, then God will be unable to save me. Salvation involves abandonment to the will of God. A God who obeys me is not a God that can save me.



Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!
"Captivating."
— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”
— Cardinal Seán Brady, 
Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."
— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."
— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."
— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

Thursday, 27 February 2025

March 2 2025.  Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL   Luke 6:39-45

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

 

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

 
GOSPEL   Luke 6:39-45

Jesus told his disciples a parable,
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.
"A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. There are two connected parts to the Gospel. The first has the metaphor of the person who criticises the speck in another’s eye whilst ignoring the plank in his own. The second part reflects on how a tree is known by its fruits.

There are two principal parts to the Gospel reading. The first (the metaphor of the speck in another’s eye compared to the plank in one’s own) concerns the questions of presuming to correct the faults of others while one’s own issues are left unresolved. The second part of the Gospel (prepared in the first reading from Sirach) points out that the fruit reveals the way that the tree has been cultivated. We recognize a tree by its fruit. Jesus mentions a number of plants that have symbolic value. Figs and grapes were fruits that were synonymous with the Promised Land, whilst thorn bush and brambles were the result of the sin and being cast out from the Garden of Eden. It was humanity’s sin that made the world inhospitable and unfruitful. The point here is that it is the fruit that counts. We can work out wonderful plans, make eloquent and complicated arguments and discourses, but if the results of our efforts are sterile, then that shows that the tree is not a good tree.

 

2. Our words reveal the state of our hearts.

The Gospel ends by saying something that recalls the first reading from Sirach: “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks". Here Jesus is asking us to examine the words that issue from us. Our words and our actions reveal something about our interior lives. Ultimately, they flow from our hearts. How often we encounter people who are committed to Christian projects and seem well-intentioned, but at the same time they murmur, criticize, spread poison with their comments, creating division and destroying fruitfulness. It is so important that we are vigilant about the state of our hearts! Our hearts can have many good impulses and characteristics, but this doesn’t excuse the many unacceptable elements that we permit to remain there. If these “planks” are allowed to remain there, they will overflow into negative and destructive actions and words, failing to produce fruit. For this reason, we must strive to take care of our inner purity of heart, rooting out bitterness and ambiguity. When we allow these infected roots to remain within us, they give rise to sterility and lack of fruitfulness of our actions.

 

3. Lent presents us with a timely opportunity to purify our hearts.

This Sunday, we have almost arrived at the gates of Lent. It is a good time to take care of our hearts. If we invest ourselves in taking care of our bodies, our life strategies and our work interests, but we do not take care of our hearts, then it will all be to no avail. If we do not exercise this “hygiene of the heart” then we will continue to give rise to all of the evil that is within us. The purification of the heart, the purification of our thoughts, is a long process. Thanks be to God that we have this period of Lent to undergo a good and healthy process of purification.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the blind man who has a beam in his own eye but is fixated with pointing out the splinter in his brother’s eye. The attitude of placing oneself as a disciplinarian over others is one that we all have at various times. Sometimes we think we need to give others a moral lecture in order to straighten up the world. But Jesus saved the world, not by giving lectures, but by giving his life for us! We too ought to be ready to die for a person before we launch into a lecture of a moral sort. Only love in action gives us the right to speak with love. For Christians, love and truth coincide. Truth spoken without love is prone to being contaminated by elements that have no truth in them. This Gospel passage also speaks of the fruits of our works. The question I must ask is what fruit do I produce? The people around me will be able to answer better than I can! When they approach me, do I produce a harvest of love and mercy? Or do I produce moralisms, hardness of heart, relational bureaucracy? If we are honest with ourselves, then we will be aware that we produce much fruit that is rotten. Let us stop pretending to be the teachers of others. Let us place ourselves before life and the Lord as children willing to learn, disciples willing to follow the Lord Jesus.




Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!
"Captivating."
— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”
— Cardinal Seán Brady, 
Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."
— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."
— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."
— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

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Sunday Gospel Reflection