May 28th 2023.  Pentecost Sunday
GOSPEL   John 20, 19-23

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

 

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

GOSPEL   John 20, 19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

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

 

1. Hiding behind mechanisms of defence is typical of the human condition. The Holy Spirit enters this cage and brings forgiveness.

The short Gospel passage from John on this feast of Pentecost describes the effusion of the Holy Spirit as a direct consequence of the resurrection. It is from Christ’s victory over death that humanity has the possibility of receiving this new life from God. The disciples are encaged behind closed doors when Jesus erupts into their situation. This state of closure  is emblematic of the human being, who erects a whole series of defence mechanisms for his self-protection. The Holy Spirit begins his activity by bringing peace to this state of self-protective agitation, introducing the very life of God in its place.

 

2. The Holy Spirit is not a narcissistic consoler that makes me feel comfortable. Instead he sends us out with the love and mercy of God

We must be very careful nowadays about narcissistic interpretations of the faith whereby the Holy Spirit is treated as something that we “obtain” to help us feel better, overcome personal problems, and grant us peace. The faith is not an individualistic system of self-consolation. In the 1990s we had the emphasis of new-age practices on wellbeing and spirituality. This still casts a long shadow. The truth is that the Holy Spirit does not make us feel more comfortable, but he sends us, he turns us outwards from ourselves. Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” At this point he gives the Holy Spirit. When life is understood as a mission, it gives a completely different flavour to our existence. When our job is understood as a mission, it changes everything. When the care of ourselves and our dear ones is seen as a mandate from God, it renders every single act of ours more noble. The Holy Spirit thus transforms us into children of God because now we are living as someone who has been sent by him, to bring his love and pardon to others. In this passage, the forgiveness of sins is fundamental. If we do not bring this forgiveness of God to others, then their sins will not be remitted. This is a unique and irreplaceable responsibility that we have been given.

 

3. Communion with others is what brings happiness, not physical wellbeing or possessions. It is the Holy Spirit who brings reconciliation and good relationships.

The second reading on Sunday speaks of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are given for the benefit of the entire community. Communion with others is the most important thing in life. Whoever has physical health but bad personal relationships is not a happy person. On the other hand, we may have various physical problems, but if we live in a communion of love with others, then we live a beautiful life. Happiness does not come from the satisfaction of our appetites but in our relationships. This is what the Holy Spirit accomplishes among us. He places us on the path of mercy and acceptance of others. Firstly, he communicates to us the forgiveness of God the Father who accepts us are we are, free from all shadow of condemnation, shattering the cages of fear inside of which we try to hide ourselves. Let us allow ourselves to be visited by God with his mercy, let us allow ourselves to be loved in our poverty, and let us allow ourselves to be sent to do good to others, a good that is always an echo of the good that we have first received.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

It is Pentecost, and we celebrate the fulfilment of the Easter journey with the joy of the consolation of the Holy Spirit! Curiously, this great consolation event happens to a small group of people who are paralysed by fear. The Holy Spirit conquers fear. Fear, in fact, is the great enemy of the beauty of humanity and the flowering of love. How is the overcoming of fear expressed? By the fact that the apostles are able to go out and communicate with others. Everyone is able to understand what is said in their own language. In other words, the Holy Spirit gives the disciples the capacity to speak to the deepest heart of their listeners. It is the Holy Spirit, not structures or institutions, that constitutes the Church. And the forgiveness of sins, the unconditional love of God for us, is the hub of His activity. The Holy Spirit does not turn us into superheroes. He does not sort out all our personal problems and defects. Instead, he makes us witnesses to the love of God and the forgiveness of sins. There exists a “horizontal” version of the forgiveness of sins in which humans can pardon each other and wish each other well. But the cancellation of sin, the reconstruction of broken relationships, can only be achieved by God. The Pharisees were right when they complained to Jesus, “Only God can forgive sins”! We can show each other mutual compassion, but only the Holy Spirit can regenerate what has been destroyed. In fact, the gift of the forgiveness of sins is described in terms of a new act of creation in this week’s Gospel. Jesus breathes on the apostles when he enters the upper room. When God performed the first act of creation, he breathed on Adam, making him in his own image and likeness. When Jesus performs this second act of creation, he does something extra: he gives them the power to pardon of the sins of others. “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven . . .”  In other words, if they do not bring this pardon to others, then who will do so? This capacity to regenerate life from above is the special call and privilege of the Church: no other body of earth can accomplish this work. May God grant us the grace to be true signs of mercy and pardon! Our acts will show if we are indeed bearers of mercy, or if we are fixated with a legalistic sort of righteousness.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

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.

May 21st 2023. The Ascension of Our Lord

GOSPEL: Matthew 28, 16-20

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

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 worshipped, 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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

At his Ascension, Jesus tells us that he is with us always, but sometimes we don’t feel his presence and we feel abandoned. Where is Jesus present? But do I really expect his presence with me to be evident if I am doing mundane things, or if I am doing things that have nothing to do with him? It is when we are carrying out our mission of evangelisation that the presence and power of Jesus become manifest! If we reject the Father’s love, refuse the lordship of Jesus and sadden the Spirit, then do not be surprised if we do not feel God’s presence with us! God is always with us, but his power and presence become more evident when we respond to him and unite ourselves to him in his work of salvation. Actually, Jesus shows a dramatic trust in us. He entrusts us with full cooperation in his work of redemption. The Ascension is the beginning of this sublime and marvellous synergy with the Lord; in other words, he has departed and now we have become his body and must work in cooperation with his Spirit, doing works that are beyond us, but managing to accomplish them because of his power and his presence working through us.

 

1. Jesus says that he is with us always, but this phrase must be read in context. It is when we enter into our mission that we experience the presence and the power of Jesus

For this feast of the Ascension we read a short passage from the end of Matthew’s Gospel. It is easy to misunderstand the phrase, “I am with you always even to the end of the world.” We risk understanding this as an indiscriminate accompaniment on the part of the Lord regardless of what we are doing. This sort of sentimental use of the faith is in fashion. We say things like this to warm our hearts, but the Gospel cannot be read by making absolutes out of isolated phrases. Rather, it must be read in its proper context. The entire context here is one of mission: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The risen Lord is not with us a priori. We must enter into our mission and then he accompanies us. It is true that Emmanuel (“God is with us”) is the name of Jesus. He took on our flesh and came to live among us. But the place where we can recognize the power of God is not simply everywhere; we don’t expect God to accompany us in an evident way if we are just going for a walk; but in the mission that he has given us we can expect him to be present! Another Gospel says: "If one walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world" (Jn 11: 9); and elsewhere he says again: "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life "(Jn 8:12).  It is not that God the Father does not always watch over us. It is not that Jesus is not the Lord of everywhere. It is not that the Holy Spirit is not always diligent with his inspirations. No, God never abandons us, that's for sure, but he is present with us in a particular way when we respond to his call to join in his work.

 

2. We tend to think we are independent. We try to do everything using our own strength. But when we submit to the Fatherhood of God, then he is able to act with us and through us. Then, truly, Christ is with us always, to the end of time.

We are vertiginously free: we can choose to walk in darkness, reject the Father, surrender ourselves to other lordships and sadden the Spirit. In the Our Father, when we say, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are renouncing a typical and destructive human tendency of always seeking to do things by ourselves. It is we who do not want God to be near us at times, especially when we are doing things we are ashamed of. When we say, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are repudiating this tendency of always wanting to take on everything, even trials, using our own strengths.  We overestimate our own capabilities and think we are independent. We have this dizzying freedom in which we can reject the fatherhood of God and place ourselves under other lordships, saddening the Holy Spirit.

 

3. The Ascension shows the truth that the Lord places in us! We have been given the sublime privilege of spreading his salvation. Let us enter into our mission so that we can experience his presence and his power.

A key point of the Ascension is the liberality with which the Lord places his trust in us, by giving us a share in his work. Surprisingly, the salvation of this world depends on the fulfilment of our mission as Christians. Saint Paul says: “How will they believe in one they have never heard of? How will they hear of him without someone announcing it?" (Rom 10,14). The Lord Jesus is always with us, but we (and the world) will only fully perceive him the day we take up our mission. On the day of the Ascension, the time of Christian creativity begins, when man learns to do things with the Lord, but to do them first-hand. It is the adult period of the history of salvation. In this age, the centre of our life is no longer our own salvation, but that of others. We are not in this world only to save ourselves, but to be instruments of salvation for others. This is true when we become parents: the most important thing is no longer our life, but the lives of those entrusted to us. And it is right here that the Lord’s presence beside us begins to become manifest. In substance the feast of the Ascension celebrates the trust that the Lord has placed in us. The work of salvation has been placed in our hands: we can carry it out or frustrate it. When we carry it out, the Lord is with us, and we can experience his power working in cooperation with us as we spread the Gospel. This feast shows us that the Lord is no paternalistic. He genuinely puts his faith in us. It was not him who announced his resurrection to the world, but his disciples. We received the good News, not from Christ himself but from his followers. This sublime fact speaks of our immense dignity. At his Ascension, the Lord commissions us to extend his salvation to the world. Let us enter into the mission that the Lord gives us so that we may experience his presence and his power in us!

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

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.

May 14th 2023. The Sixth Sunday of Easter

GOSPEL: John 14, 15-21

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

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

 

SUMMARY

 Jesus says, “I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Paraclete”. What is a paraclete? In ancient Semitic society, the paraclete was a lawyer who stood close to the defendant. The defendant had to defend himself, but the paraclete whispered vital counsel to him. Our Paraclete is the Holy Spirit. He does not do what we need to do ourselves. He does not replace our free will. But he gives us precious counsel when we act. In fact, what he murmurs to us is the Word of God, the same Word that took flesh in the womb of Mary! But I will not hear the voice of the Holy Spirit if my head is full of worries, anxieties, and seductions of this world. I will only hear his voice if I am seeking to live a relationship of love with the Father and the Son. Jesus also says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments, and I will ask the Father and he will give you another counsellor to be with you forever” The key cannot be anything else but love. Opening the heart to the Father and the Lord Jesus opens the doors to the Spirit. How does this wonder begin? With gratitude. Our love for God is always a love of response. It is not our initiative but something we do when we contemplate what he has done for us: "We love because he loved us first" (1 Jn 4:19). Those who keep this fact in mind begin to enter into a dialogue with the Holy Spirit, the greatest counsellor in the world!

 

1. A paraclete was a lawyer who stood close to the defendant and counselled him on how to proceed with his defence. Our Paraclete is the Holy Spirit. He does not do what we need to do ourselves. He does not replace our free will. But he gives us precious counsel.

“I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Paraclete”. What is a paraclete? To understand this, you need to know the details of ancient Semitic law, which involved procedures different from ours. In fact, "Paraclete" is translated into Latin as “Advocatus”, which means "summoned near". This referred to the legal expert who stood close to the defendant and whispered legal advice to him during the trial. Nowadays, a defendant completely delegates all dialogue to his lawyer and he (the defendant) opens his mouth only when he has to testify himself. By contrast, in the biblical world the accused had to participate fully in the various stages of the trial. But those who were wealthy could hire themselves a paraclete, a person who stood by him and who spoke in his ear, advising him how to respond. A paraclete was a luxury for the elitist few. A passage from Luke’s Gospel refers to this: “When they bring you before synagogues, magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourself, or what to say, because the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you must say" (Lk 12,11f). We can deduce various things from this. The first is that the Holy Spirit does not do everything for us. He counsels us on how to act, but he does not replace our free will. God is a Father. He is not paternalist, he does not take things from us because he does not trust us, he does not infantilize us. His Spirit is the wonderful adviser who illuminates us and shows us the way, always leaving us free to say no to Him. The decisions of life are not delegated to the Holy Spirit, but we enter in synergy with him, and he teaches us the art of truth, of which he is master. The second things we should notice is that we are indeed privileged because we can afford the best lawyer! We are children of the King of kings, our aides are top class. In fact, the law firm that we have on our side cannot be afforded by everyone because he is "the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive because it does not see him and does not know him".

 

2. The Paraclete whispers precious counsel to us. In fact, what he murmurs to us is the Word of God, the same Word that took flesh in the womb of Mary. But I will not hear the voice of the Holy Spirit if my head is full of worries, anxieties, and seductions of this world. I will only hear his voice if I am seeking to live a relationship of love with the Father and the Son. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments, and I will ask the Father and he will give you another counsellor to be with you forever”

To have such help, one must be in the world but not of the world. Like the seed among the thorns (the parable of the Sower), if I am a slave to the things of the world, if I permit the worries of the world and the seduction of wealth to suffocate the Word, then I will bear no fruit (Mt 13:22). In other words, the counsel of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit is also offered to my ear, but that voice is a gentle murmur that can be drowned out by the scream of the anxieties of the world, which shamelessly raise their voices around me and distract me. How can I hear that voice, that breath which is the Lord’s? How can I receive that word that gives life and through which Christ incarnated himself in the womb of the Virgin Mary? The key to all this is given in the beginning of the Gospel passage: "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 key cannot be anything else but love. Opening the heart to the Father and the Lord Jesus opens the doors to the Spirit. How does this wonder begin? With gratitude. Our love for God is a love of response: "We love because he loved us first" (1 Jn 4:19). The observance of the commandments does not take its point of departure from us, but from love. Obedience to the Lord is a consequence of gratitude to him, not a premise. The saving of the Israelites through the Red Sea happened before the giving of the Ten Commandments on Sinai. First there is salvation then there is observance of the Law.

Those who keep this fact in mind begin to enter into a dialogue with the Holy Spirit, the greatest counsellor in the world! Let us turn to him for his promptings, but always starting with gratitude towards the Lord.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

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.

May 7th 2023. The Fifth Sunday of Easter

GOSPEL: John 14, 1-6

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: John 14, 1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

 Jesus tells us in the Gospel not to be troubled at heart. However, this is not easy for us! Each one of us has an innate restlessness. We fear the uncertainties of life. We don’t know where we are going. Jesus tells us that the answer to our instability is to make our dwelling with him. But how do we do that? Is this dwelling just a place where we will go at the end of our lives? No, Jesus is not only talking about our ultimate destination. He is talking about a state of existence that we can already enter right now. In fact, he is already preparing us to enter into our dwelling place with the Father. Even the pandemic is being used by him as a stimulus to abandon ourselves into his hands and start to live in his presence. Everything in life is Christ’s way of taking us into our dwelling place with the Father! If I ask: “How can I find the way to the ultimate goal of my life? Which path must I follow?” The answer is my relationship with the Father. Jesus knows the Father, so if we walk with Jesus, keeping him always in our hearts and minds, then we will be sure to arrive at our wonderful destination.

 

1. Each of us has an innate restlessness. We fear the uncertainties of life. We don’t know where we are going. Jesus tells us that the answer to our instability is to make our home with him. But how do we do that? Is that just a place where we will go at the end of our lives?

Jesus tells us: “Do not let your heart be troubled” - not easy! In the context of all of our anxieties, climate change, political upheavals, etc., it is worthwhile to consider well this invitation of Jesus. In our translation, the disturbance of the heart mentioned by Jesus sounds like an inner attitude - in fact it is the heart we are speaking of, after all - but in the Greek original, the verb refers more to a jolt than to an attitude. It implies a collapse of support and the consequent upheaval of the structure. What could produce such chaos? Jesus responds by saying: "There are many dwellings in my Father's house." The collapse in support that would threaten the heart would therefore lead to the need for a new home, for a safe shelter. In fact, this is the primordial trauma of the human being, his first cry, experienced in birth. One leaves the womb and immediately faces, without understanding it, the question of destination: where am I going? where are you taking me? what will happen to me? This is not just a problem for infants, but for all of life. Even today I never really know where I'm going to end up: what will become of me? So many things create fear in me.

 

2. But Jesus is not only talking about our ultimate destination. He is talking about a state of existence that we can enter right now. He tells us that he is coming back for us while we still live this life and he will take us there. He is already doing that! He is already preparing us to enter into our dwelling place with the Father. Even the pandemic is being used by him as a stimulus to abandon ourselves into his hands and start to live in his abode. Everything in life is Christ’s way of taking us into our dwelling place with the Father.

Jesus resolves all of this by speaking of the Father, because it is only in His house that there is the answer to our innate restlessness, as the Psalm says: "Only in God is my soul at rest" (Ps 62,2). But this beautiful concept can also sound abstract and distant. It is very important to realize that the “dwelling” that Jesus speaks of is not only a future goal for us. That would already be wonderful, but Jesus adds: "When I have gone and I have prepared a place for you, I will come again and take you with me". This is not a journey to be made by ourselves, as a task to be achieved with our poor resources. It is the work of Jesus! He will return and take us with him. They are two ways of understanding our life: as a long test of strength after which we finally arrive at salvation, or allowing ourselves to be taken day by day and brought to the Father. Everything that happens to us in life is the Lord’s way of taking us to His home. Everything. God can use the most disparate of things, even a pandemic.

 

3. How can I find the way to the ultimate goal of my life? Which path must I follow? The destination is my relationship with the Father. Jesus knows the Father, so if we walk with Jesus, keeping him always in our mind, then we will be sure to arrive at our wonderful destination

Then the Lord goes on to say that we already know the path to this wonderful house of many dwellings. Thomas, the one who must always check to see if something is genuine or not, asks the most logical of questions: “We don't have any idea where you are going; how can we know the way?” But Jesus has other ways to explain things: he doesn't give us a map, he doesn't give us a shortcut. The road that we must follow is the same one that he travels. In a certain sense, not even Calvary or the tomb is the place of passage, but even more fundamentally the relationship with the Father, regardless of everything else. Jesus is saying: “I know the way because I know the Father and you know the way to the Father because you know me”. As simple as that. It is not necessary to have memorized all the bends and junctions. When I know Christ, when I keep him in mind, then I know where to turn, where we stop, how to walk. The rule is to stay with Jesus, whatever it costs. Then I am guaranteed to arrive at my destination.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

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.