Sunday January 1st 2012

There will be no translation this Sunday. Normal service will resume next week! Happy Christmas and a peaceful new year to everyone!

The Nativity of Our Lord,   Christmas Day 2011

John 1:1-18

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

Questions raised by this passage from the Gospel

1. Do we continue to think of God as a distant spirit, despite his incarnation that we celebrate at Christmas?

2. What exactly is the glory of God? How do we behold it?

3. Is the glory of God manifested to us in a triumphalist way, or in the mind-blowing humility that God shows towards us?

4. If the God who made the cosmos makes himself nothing in order to be with you and me, then what does that make us?

5. How can an appreciation of how much God was willing to empty himself for me help me to understand who I truly am?

6. If God was willing to become a human being, then how important is it for you and me to be human beings?

St John's Gospel begins with abstract-sounding concepts, but comes to a climax with the incarnation of God!

At the Mass for Christmas Day, we read the lyrical Prologue from St John's Gospel. These verses act as a key for the entire Gospel and proclaim the momentous event of the sending of the Word from the Father.  We are told that everything was made through the Word, and everything receives its substance from Him. We are told that He is life, and that this life is the light of all people.

            Here we have various concepts beautifully interwoven: life, the created world, light shining in darkness. Light gives life, and life is received through a light that is sent to us from God. These concepts might seem very abstract, and one might feel that there is a difficult code here that has to be broken. But then the poetic hymn comes to a climax at verse fourteen, which is the very verse that we celebrate at Christmas: "The Word was made flesh and he lives among us". After the abstract-sounding initial description of the Word, we suddenly hear that he became flesh! And he came to live among us!

            But let us recall where the Prologue departed from. At the beginning of the passage, we had heard the Word described as the light that illuminates every person. This light was sent from God and is life-giving. In order to be life-giving, it must be accepted. And then we are told that this Word took on human flesh. Thus He is not some sort of legendary myth, but is a concrete person. He took on flesh, thus he is not simply a spirit, but is flesh and blood like we are. He came to live among us, thus he is not distant from us.

What exactly is the glory of God? How do we behold it?

The passage from St John's Gospel continues: "And we saw his glory". So we encounter a person - concrete flesh and blood - and we contemplate his glory.  This term "glory" needs to be explained. It does not refer to some sort of ostentatious or triumphalist exhibition. In Hebrew the word for glory is kabod, and refers to the weight or value of something. The glory of God is his authentic value. To contemplate the glory of God is to recognize his true worth. Sometimes we see the genuine glory of a person - not in moments of success or triumph - but in difficult moments when he is challenged to respond to adversity. John says in his Prologue that we have seen the glory of the Lord. What is he referring to here? Later in the Gospel, we discover that this glory was manifested on the cross and in the resurrection. But the point that is important for us now at Christmas is that God has made himself visible and tangible. The first letter of St John speaks of that which our eyes have seen, our ears have heard and our hands have touched. In other words, we have sensible contact with God. Christmas announces that God is at arm's reach, that he is here among us, that it is not true that he is distant from us. The experience that has been transmitted to us by the Christians of the first century who had direct contact with the Lord is that God is not a concept to be understood, but is a baby that was born in humble circumstances, and who has grown up among us. Where does God manifest himself? In a life like ours! The fact that he has manifested himself in this way makes it possible for each of us to behold the glory of God. The fact that Jesus became flesh shows that it is not true that our existence is one that must be rescued from the flesh, but rather that our flesh itself has been redeemed. Our flesh has become the temple of the Holy Spirit.

            It is no longer the case that we must wait until we go to paradise to behold the glory of God. We have the experience of concretely experiencing God here on earth. He has made himself visible. Christianity is more than a series of values. There are values involved in being a Christian, but they are derivative of an encounter with a concrete person. The shepherds found this person in the most banal of circumstances - a child with its mother - and we too can find him in these most normal of circumstances.

The glory of God is revealed in his emptying of himself to make real contact with each of us

If I understand the flesh of Christ, then I understand my own. If I see the glory of God, then I begin to understand my own value and relevance. If I begin to appreciate how much God was willing to empty himself in order to be close to me, then I begin to understand who I truly am. Through the act of beholding him, I behold my own dignity. Here we are not speaking solely of an experience of the generosity of God. If the God who made the cosmos, who formed the galaxies, makes himself nothing in order to be with you and me, then what does that make us? This is what Christmas proclaims.

            How many wrong ideas we have about God! If we wish to know him better, then look at him this Christmas. Look at how humble he is, how available he is, completely given, entirely gift. Let us rejoice in this gift; let us rejoice that the Lord became flesh. If the Lord became flesh, then how important it is to have a body! How relevant it is to have flesh and to be alive. As John Paul II said, if God was not displeased to become a human being, then how truly important it must be to be a human being!

Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 18^th 2011)  

Luke 1:26-38

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

Questions raised by this passage from the Gospel

1. Who are the angels that have led us in the way of the faith?

2. The angel describes Mary as the one who has been highly favoured. In what sense are our lives too filled with grace?

3. When we are confronted by distressing circumstances, do we continue to hold firm to our faith and try to see how these difficult circumstances fit into God's plan?

4. Is what way are my daily actions driven by fear?

5. Does faith consist in the ability to face tribulation on my own, or is it better described as the ability to lean on the One who is stronger?

6. What marvellous work does the Lord wish to accomplish in me?

Faith has its origin in heaven and is prompted in us by angels, both supernatural and natural

This wonderful text describes how our redemption is set in motion by Mary's acceptance of the word of God. In Luke's Gospel, Mary is presented as the model of faith, the one who possessed faith in its fullness. No other creature in history had faith as she had it. Reflection on this passage is like attending a "school of faith" where the most blessed among women teaches us how it is done.

            The passage begins with the appearance of an angel. When we contemplate the faith of Mary and its fecundity, we must keep in mind that faith has its origin in heaven and is borne by angels or messengers. The angel Gabriel was sent by God. If we happen to be Christians, then it is because we have received the faith from other Christians, angels who have taught us in the ways of the faith. Maybe our angels were our own parents, who made a commitment at their wedding to raise their children in the faith, and who took the vows on our behalf when we were baptized. We are surrounded by angels, those that are natural and those that are supernatural.

            The angel Gabriel appears to Mary as she stands at a crossroads in her life. She is a virgin, betrothed to a man of the House of David. She is not just any girl, anywhere in the world. The whole of the Old Testament stands in the background of this encounter with the angel. The angel says "Rejoice o highly favoured! The Lord is with you!"

Mary was full of grace, but our lives also are filled with grace and we too have reason for rejoicing

The joyful aspect of this greeting cannot be over-emphasized. The angel is saying, "What happy news! The Lord is on your side! Be cheerful, wonderful things are happening in your life!" The angel tells Mary to rejoice because she is full of grace, but it is also true for all of us that are lives are filled with grace! There are so many good things that we ought to rejoice about! Why do we allow ourselves to be sad or disheartened because of a few aspects of our lives that we decide are all-important? The amount of people who become dejected because they are dissatisfied with how they look! But the angel tells us, "Be joyful, leave sadness behind! Stop thinking that you are far from the grace of God! How generous God is with us! Let us open our eyes to how good and patient the Lord is with us! He doesn't treat us according to our sins. He continually leads us in the way of salvation! Rejoice, rejoice!"

Faith is not against reason but involves reasoning with the noblest part of our soul

Mary is disturbed with the greeting that the angel gives her. But if an angel appeared to any of us we would be bothered! The Greek term for "disturbed" that appears in the original text indicates that Mary was not just slightly uneasy about the angel's greeting but was extremely troubled on an interior level. But Mary does not allow this distress to overcome her. She asks herself what such a greeting could mean. In other words she continues to reason, aware that God must continually surprise us, shake us, and astonish us in order to complete his plan for us. This point is very important. Faith does not entail the abandonment of reason but the correct use of reason. It involves reasoning with the noblest part of our soul, and the uncovering of the most beautiful aspect of ourselves. When life confronts us with difficulties, then we are prompted to develop, grow, ask ourselves questions like what sense do these things have in our lives? Where is God trying to lead me?

The work of God cannot be accomplished in us if we give in to fear

The angel replies "Do not be afraid". This phrase is the hallmark of the angels and appears again and again in the Old Testament. It highlights the fact that the work of God cannot be accomplished in us if we give in to fear. Fear is a poor counsellor, a bad teacher, the worst companion of life, and in reality is often based on self-deception. There are healthy fears and unhealthy fears. It is normal and right to have a sense of danger in certain situations. In Greek culture, the word for fear is "phobos", but Phobos was actually a God who was responsible for making people run away, or take evasive action. And it is true that fear often guides our actions in a decisive way. Many of our actions are motivated by our attempts to flee from something. Our desires are often camouflaged fears. We think we have carried out an action in order to achieve a certain goal, but in reality we are seeking a refuge from one of our fears. It is not possible to arrive at the glory that the Lord has destined for each of us if we continue to be instructed, hampered and driven by fear.

Faith does not consist in being strong in oneself, but in the ability to lean on the One who is stronger

We must stop seeking refuges in which to hide from fear, and instead start seeking to fulfil the plan that God has destined for us. We must stop living like refugees and start living like pilgrims. How do we manage this? How can we conquer our fears? How can we overcome the threats - genuine or otherwise - that encircle us? The angel does not simply say, "Do not be afraid, Mary". He also adds, " . . .because you have found favour with God". We do not have to overcome fear on our own merits. The angel reminds us that there is someone on whom we can lean. According to Psalm 23, "If I walk through the valley of death I will not fear". The psalm doesn't say that the valley of death does not exist, but that the Lord will be with me in that valley.

            Faith does not consist in being strong in oneself, but in the ability to lean on the One who is stronger. Faith is not a state of existence in which no risks or dangers present themselves; but involves knowing how to entrust one's existence to the Lord in moments of danger. Faith is knowing how to cross the valley of death with the Lord.

The works of God are always of a marvellous sort, and so it is with the works that God wishes to accomplish in each of us.

In this moment of conquering of fear, a marvellous work will be realized. From Mary the Messiah will be generated. In Mary the period of waiting that is represented by the Old Testament will come to its fulfilment. Mary asks how exactly all of this will come about, and the angel replies that it will be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. "Your question is very pertinent Mary", the angel is telling her. "The way in which this work will be completed will not be by human means, but in a marvellous and extraordinary way". The angel then refers to Elizabeth conceiving a child when she was sterile. The works of God are of this sort, the angel is saying. A man is born of a virgin. A man comes out of the tomb. God creates the world from nothing. These are the "impossible" works that God wishes to accomplish in all of us. If we do not in our daily lives open ourselves to the extraordinary works of God, then we reduce Christianity to a series of moral precepts and questionable philosophies. The arena in which God operates is the arena of the extraordinary. Sometimes we try to interpret and explain the works of God so that they sound plausible. But I do not follow the Lord in order to achieve something that was already plausible. We do not give our lives for something that we could have done by ourselves on our own merits. No. God calls us to extraordinary things. And Christmas is not just the celebration of a family festivity that makes us feel better. Christmas is about believing that God can truly enter into our existence. To this eruption of the divine in our lives, we can rightly say "Come Lord! Let the extraordinary enter into our existence!"

            Mary's reply to the angel is not just a simple granting of permission for the Lord to be conceived. Mary's expression reveals a powerful desire on her part. "Let it be done onto me according to your word!" This Sunday we too can say, "Come Lord, enter into my life! Scatter the petty designs that have me rooted to the ground in fear! Help me open myself to your plan. I want your extraordinary grace to erupt in my life!"

Third Sunday of Advent (December 11^th 2011)     

John 1:6-8, 19-28

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

Questions raised by this passage from the Gospel

1. Gaudete Sunday challenges us to reflect on the meaning of real joy. What is the difference between joy and pleasure?

2. In what sense do we prefer to live in the shadows? In what way does the light of Christ show up the ambiguities and compromises in our lives?

3. Is it easy and natural for us to embrace the true light, or does it involve a challenging renunciation of old ways?

4. Can we learn from the example of John the Baptist and stop placing ourselves at the centre of our world? In what way can this help the light to enter our lives?

Gaudete Sunday challenges us to reflect on the meaning of real joy.

Gaudete Sunday is traditionally the Sunday of rejoicing in the coming of the Lord. What exactly is real joy? Real joy is something different to a feeling of dizziness or light-headedness! We tend to confuse true joy with the times in which we reward ourselves with momentary pleasures. Joy brings a certain pleasure of its own, but pleasure for the sake of itself fails to bring joy of any sort and can lead to emptiness. In life we are always confronted with the issue of choosing the greater joy. Man is always seeking joy, happiness, fullness. But just what is the fullness of joy?

            This passage from Chapter One of John's Gospel refers to the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. We are told that John himself was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe through him. The first thing we note in this text is that the light is something that comes into the world. I do not possess it of myself, but must await for its arrival. It must be bestowed on me as a gift. The first act of God's creation was "Let there be light!" God's creation begins with the appearance of light, and this Gospel also links redemption to the shining of light in the world.

True joy is impossible if we live in the shadows with a distorted perspective on reality. True joy requires immersion in the fullness of light

To enter into the joy that this Sunday's liturgy represents, we need someone who will bear witness to the light. We need to come to believe in the light, but the problem is that we have a reluctance to accept the light. We feel more secure in the shadows, where we can hide our compromises and ambiguities. False joy involves avoiding the light and having a distorted perspective on reality. Full joy, on the other hand, is possible wherever there is fullness of light. All of us have received witness to this light; we have heard the good news about it, and, through our faith, we have being issued with a call to enter into the battle of either accepting or refusing the true light.

What does it mean to believe in the light?

What does accepting the true light mean? It means to believe in the good, to believe in salvation, to believe in the love of God, in the fullness of our existence. It means to believe in the redemption of our past; to believe that everything in our lives can become light, can become useful, can become salvation and mission, peace, pardon, and encounter with God. We tend to resist this light and we need someone like John the Baptist to cry out "Look at the light! Look at the goodness of God manifested in your existence! That which happened in your past and that weighs you down can be resolved and healed completely! It is never true that a person's situation is hopeless! It is never true that things are as banal and empty as they might appear to us. Believe in the light! Open your eyes and fix your gaze on the invisible. That light is not the light of this world but another greater light."

           

Accepting the light means turning away from the darkness

No one can enter into joy without renouncing his own vision of things. No one enters the full joy of God unless he denies the "light" of the old man. We must turn away from the partial perspective, the narrow interpretation, the infantile viewpoint, the idolatrous approach to life that we have closeted ourselves in. The joy that is coming into the world at Christmas is a joy that conquers darkness. When someone is in the shadows and is exposed to bright light, his eyes hurt. Full light is a terrifying thing because it unmasks the ambiguities and unsavoury things that lie in the darkness. The true joy that can never be lost is not compatible with a life filled with ambiguities and compromises. When figures like John the Baptist bear witness to the light, they urge us to be ready to embrace the struggle that this involves. They say, "Do not despair; do not lose faith; do not be intimidated by shadows and darkness, by damaging words, by the negative voices that assail the heart of man".

Humility is a virtue that allows the light to enter our lives and take centre stage

One of the distinctive characteristics of John the Baptist is his humility. The first thing he wishes to make clear is that he is not the Christ. He does this despite the fact that people were coming to him in droves from Jerusalem. It would have been easy for him to have taken central stage and enjoyed some of the attention and glory. What a marvellous character! A man who knew how to bear witness to someone greater; who knew how to place himself on the periphery so that the truth might prosper. That is how light enters our lives too, when we take example from John the Baptist and stop placing ourselves at the centre of things; when we stop treating ourselves as absolutes. Humility - the honest recognition of one's limits and peripheral role - often brings peace to our lives. When we take ourselves too seriously, we take the weight of the world on our shoulders, like the mythical Atlas. But I am not the Christ, I am not the centre of things. Rather I am the one that is in need of salvation. I am one who needs to speak of another, and never of myself. All of the saints knew how to speak of the Lord, and never confused themselves with the true light. Humility is a great virtue. It is such a joy to be in the company of a humble person, and so trying to be with someone who is full of their own importance!