February 2^nd 2020. The Presentation of Our Lord

GOSPEL: Luke 2, 22-40

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

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Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: Luke 2, 22-40

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted --and you yourself a sword will pierce--
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . Why does the Gospel passage for this feast of the Presentation contain joyful elements as well as elements of foreboding, such as the sword that pierces the soul? According to the Jewish custom, the mother had to be “purified” by offering her first-born son to the Lord. But why was this purification needed? Isn’t it good and natural to be a mother? The origin of this purification is to be found in the story of Abraham. He was asked by the Lord to sacrifice his first-born son. This was a way for Abraham to learn to abandon himself in trust to the Lord. Through this trial, Abraham becomes the kind of father than God wants him to be. The “purification” that Mary and Joseph were asked to do was to offer their son to the Lord, to acknowledge that everything we have belongs to the Lord before it belongs to us. All of us need this purification! The term “purify” means to pass through fire and become a simple, undefiled nature. “Pure water” means water and nothing else. All of us are asked to allow the sword to enter our soul so that what is not God is cut away from what is of God. Our intellects, our hearts, our actions must be purified by this sword, so that we become pure and what is not of God within us is eliminated.

The Gospel passage contains joy and foreboding. Why is that? Because the joy of being parents of a firstborn son also carries with it the responsibility of offering that child to God. What we produce belongs to God, not to us! We all need to go through the process of being strengthened by fire.

This Sunday coincides with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. The Gospel passage that tells this event plays on two contrasting emotions: on the one hand the joy of Simeon and Anna who speak of consolation, redemption and glory; on the other hand there is the announcement of a path of contradiction and a sword that will pierce the soul. What is the reason for these different tones in the same story? Maybe, this becomes clearer if we focus on the reason for the "presentation" at the temple. The first verse of the Gospel refers to "purification”. The young couple were required to offer a pair of turtle doves for the "redemption of the firstborn". Jesus is the firstborn and Mary is required to go through a process of “purification” or sacrifice in order to fully embrace the grace of motherhood. Together with Joseph, she must "pay" the ransom of the son; in other words, they must remember that the son is not theirs; before everything else he belongs to God.

The word “purify” comes from the Greek word for “fire”. It is not so much about moral cleansing as about passing something through fire so that it has a single nature without being mixed with other natures. “Pure water” means that there is nothing here only water. “Pure gold” means that there are no foreign substances mixed with the gold.

The purification and offering of the firstborn are part of the process of consecration: it is no coincidence that the Church considers this to be the feast of the celebration of the gift of consecrated life. Such consecration is an objective manifestation of Baptism in which we are all consecrated as a gift of God and to God. But what is more natural than motherhood? Why was a new mother required to complete an act of purification? What could be healthier and more beautiful than becoming fathers and mothers? The term “purify” was not so much an act of moral significance as an act by which something was made into a single undefiled nature, often by passing through fire. For example, pure gold or pure water means only gold or only water, nothing else.

We all need purification if we are to be good parents, good adults, good Christians. Even Abraham had to be purified by a difficult trial so that he would abandon himself even more into the arms of God. We all need the sword to enter our should to distinguish what is of God from what is not of God

Do our hearts need to be purified? What about our intellects? And our attitudes? Is it possible that we might be living our motherhood, our fatherhood, our femininity, our masculinity in an ambiguous way? Yes, it is very possible! Self-referential attitudes (attitudes that focus on me to the detriment of everything else) are all too common for most of us. These attitudes do not respect the real truth regarding my existence, the responsibility of my role, the meaning and value of material objects. Then we begin to understand why the father of faith, Abraham, had to undergo a trial of purification so that he would become a father in the way that God wanted him to be. The Lord challenged him to put the life of his beloved first-born son, Isaac, at the complete disposal of the will of God. In fact, it is precisely that event which is recalled when pious Israelites were required to present their first-born to God in the temple. We all need purification, every one of us, at all times! It is a constant process that involves a sword that pierces us inside and distinguishes what is of God from what is not of him. It is essential that we go through this continuous process of cleaning up our intellects and our actions. Each one of us has various “firstborns” in need of redemption. From what? From the greed and self-absorption in our hearts.

January 26^th 2020. Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL: Matthew 4, 12-23

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

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Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: Matthew 4, 12-23

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . Sunday has been designated by Pope Francis to be the Sunday of the Word

 of God. Did you know that we can be enslaved or liberated by words? We are relational

 creatures and we are always fundamentally in dialogue with something. It is important that 

we be in dialogue with God’s word and not with a lie! The serpent in the Garden deceived us 

with his lie. This has caused us to distrust God and each other, and has led us to live lives of

 isolation and suspicion. But into this darkness, comes Jesus! The Gospel tells us that light

 begins to shine on the people who lived on the “way of the sea”. This was the commercial 

route to the Mediterranean. Jesus did not meet people on top of a high mountain, but went 

right into this busy region and called the first disciples. They were living in darkness in the 

same way that all of life is in darkness and heading towards death and nothingness. Jesus 

calls them (and us) to conversion. Conversion means to change direction and head towards 

the Kingdom. So the people who lived on the way of the sea are now living on the way to the

 Kingdom of Heaven! This Sunday we are called to embrace the life-giving word of God, 

change direction and allow the Kingdom to come in our lives.

It might sound surprising, but a word can imprison us! If we are led to believe a lie (which is 

what happens in Eden when humanity believes the serpent) then our lives can be distorted, 

leading to our imprisonment and isolation behind distrust and suspicion. 

The Word of God creates the world. From the breath of his mouth the heavens were made, 

according to one of the Psalms. God speaks and his will is done. He commands and everything

 comes to be (Ps 33). The first reading on Sunday, which Pope Francis has designated "Sunday

 of the Word", is a text by Isaiah that tells of a light that brings joy and freedom from oppression.

 Can a word liberate? In a sense, we could ask ourselves the opposite question: can a word

 imprison? Yes! Chapter 3 of Genesis tells how this very thing can happen. By the word of the 

serpent, a word of treachery, humanity is deceived, with the result that we are imprisoned in a

 life of shame and competition. Loneliness and isolation are introduced into the world. It is a 

word that condemns the heart of man. If a person becomes convinced that a lie is the truth, all

 of life can go out of focus. But the light that liberates man appears in this Sunday’s Gospel.

The Gospel speaks of God’s light shining on the busy commercial zone known as the “way of the sea”. Jesus calls Simon and Peter right in the middle of this busy area, just as they are casting their nets to earn their living. Jesus calls them to conversion, which means taking a radical new direction, to a new way and a new life.

The Gospel refers to a place where the light begins to shine. At first, it might appear to be giving only geographic information, but nothing is trivial in the Scriptures. The land being referred to is the so-called "way of the sea", an important communication artery of the time. As its name suggested, it was the way to get to the Mediterranean, from the east or the north. It was a place of passage. Christ does not put himself on the top of a mountain, a typical place for divine manifestations, but on the street, a busy street where people pass with their haste, their priorities, their anxieties and their objectives. The Lord Jesus makes the light shine, which is the word at the centre of this Gospel: "Be converted, because the kingdom of heaven is near".

There is another “way to go”, apart from this busy way of the sea. And this new direction, this conversion, is not the result of anxieties or confused desires: it is the kingdom of heaven. You can reach it, it is accessible. On the way of the sea, on this busy commercial street, where people come and go but never arrive, you can be called to conversion, to a new direction. This is what happens to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew just as they are casting their nets. The moment of the casting of the nets is a moment of trying to procure life, a living, for themselves. It is at this very moment that they are called to another life.

Human life is marked by death. All our endeavours are destined for nothingness unless we embrace the direction of the Kingdom, which is approaching. When we follow Christ, then darkness is dispersed and our lives become beautiful and meaningful.

In the end, the people who are called to the light are these very disciples, Peter and Andrew. In what sense was their previous life a life of darkness? All life exists in a "region of death". No matter how hard we work, every human place is simply the place that sooner or later will see us die. Every place is the penultimate place before the ultimate end of death. We can catch all the fish we want, but sooner or later we die. There is a shadow in the human heart which seems to tell us that we are walking towards nothing. Where is the light in all of this? With the coming of Jesus, those who walked the way of the sea towards the Mediterranean had the opportunity to change direction and head towards the Kingdom of Heaven, because – according to the Greek text - it is on its way. The English translation “the Kingdom of heaven  is at hand” is not a great translation of the Greek which really says that the Kingdom is coming towards us. It is he who is looking for us. We were not born for nothingness, but for heaven. Our journey has a noble and valuable end. Beautiful things can be achieved, there is Christ to follow. Simon Peter and Andrew once caught fish but now can fish for people. They can save lives, bring a multitude of scattered people into the Kingdom, people who exist in darkness, but with a word can be freed.

January 19^th 2020. Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL: John 1, 29-34

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

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Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: John 1, 29-34

Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’ John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.”

Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’

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

Kieran’s summary . . . John’s Gospel says something surprising: we are told that the testimony of John the Baptist is necessary for each one of us if we are to have correct faith in Christ. What does the Baptist say? He points to Jesus and says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. This is a crucial testimony concerning the identity of Jesus. However, the translation “takes away” is not so good. The original Greek really says “takes upon himself the sins of the world”. Jesus takes our sins upon himself. This is so essential. Humanity is not able to deal with sin. Psychology and counselling can only do so much. They cannot remove the guilt of sin. What Jesus does is forgive us and bear the weight of our sins completely. My sinful and toxic past is thus transformed! What was once a history of error and weakness now becomes a history of how much God has loved me and shown his mercy towards me despite my faults!

The Gospel passage tells us that we must accept John’s testimony regarding Christ if we are to have true faith

St John's prologue proclaims wonderful things about Christ, and also speaks of John the Baptist: “A man came who was sent by God: his name was John. He came to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him " (Jn 1,6). Generally, we think that John's testimony only concerns the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. But the fourth evangelist, who does not usually give useless information, says something very significant about the Baptist: “He came ... so that everyone might believe through him”. Everyone means everyone, including you and me! In order to believe, we need to accept his testimony. We cannot believe if we do not accept those things that the Gospel of this Sunday proclaims for us to hear. So let's look carefully at the things he tells us. John begins by saying that Jesus is "the lamb of God". The main ritual of the Jewish faith revolved around the sacrifice of a lamb whose blood, placed on the doorposts of the Israelites at the time of the Exodus, was stronger than the angel of the death that passed over. This is the real meaning of who Jesus is. He is the one that brings a true liberation, not simply freedom from a specific oppressor, such as Pharaoh, but from a more extensive enemy of all humanity.

Jesus doesn’t just remove our sins, he takes them upon himself

To explain what he said, the Baptist adds "the one who takes away the sin of the world!" The Church takes this phrase seriously, so much so that in each individual Eucharist the celebrant repeats it at the moment that he holds up the body of the Lord before communion. It is no harm to note that the phrase "take away" is a poor translation of the Greek verb that does not simply mean "take away", but "take upon himself ". Sins are not simply removed by Christ. What happens is more profound. He completely accepts them onto himself.

Humanity cannot deal with sin. Psychology and counselling can only do so much. God’s forgiveness transforms my sinful past into the memory of how much I have been loved, despite my weaknesses.

Sin is something that humanity by itself cannot manage. People are obliged to carry the weight of their mistakes on their shoulders. You can remove stains on a dress and you can purify a material, but removing guilt from a person's conscience is a superhuman activity. Psychology, for example, tries to manage the effects of sin, but it cannot bring forgiveness. Guilt is extremely difficult for the human heart to deal with. There are those who naively say: “God no longer remembers your sins, don't worry!” The problem is that I remember them. That can be a form of torture and there are no rational solutions. However, when someone has the power to forgive my mistakes, then they become no longer the memory of how much I have gone astray, but of how much I have been loved. John the Baptist is saying: “Look! Here is the one who takes upon himself the sin of the world. Here is the only one who can deal with my toxic history. Here is the one who illuminates my past by transforming it into a story of mercy. Here is the one who loves me without parentheses, even my sins.