November 26th 2023. Feast of Christ the King

GOSPEL: Matthew 25,31-46

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

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

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GOSPEL: Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him. 
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. 
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink? 
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you? 
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."

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

 

SUMMARY. . . This Sunday – the Feast of Christ the King - marks the end of the liturgical year and it is an opportunity for us to think about the end of all things, the eternal significance of every single thing we do. Jesus’ parable shows that he is the centre of history. The meaning of every event in our lives is to be evaluated in relation to him. More specifically, it is to be evaluated in relation to how much love – or lack of love – we show in every action of our lives. Every action, whether we like it or not, is directed either for or against Jesus. It is either an act of love, or an act that constitutes a failure to love. We might think that our lives are small, miserable and inconsequential, but this parable shows that every single action we do has eternal meaning! When my life is over, what matters is whether I have shown love to others, whether I have welcomed others, nourished them, visited them when they were lonely, covered their nakedness, accepted them in their alienation. How many times have I myself been visited in the isolation in which I have enclosed myself, comforted in my sorrow and nourished in my poverty! This Sunday, let us reflect on the significance and gravity of everything we do!

 

The parable told by Jesus shows that he is the centre of history and of life, and that all of our actions in life, whether we realize it or not, are actions done to him.

This Sunday we mark the end of the liturgical year and we contemplate Christ, King of the universe, King of history and the centre of all things. The Gospel this week presents Jesus as the judge and the parameter by which all things are to be interpreted. What does it mean to accept Jesus as the parameter by which to interpret history? In the parable, all the people are divided to the right and left of Christ. Some inherit the Kingdom and others are driven away. In this account we discover that the Lord Jesus is the sole criterion by which our eternal destiny is to be decided. It is no harm, in the first instance, to reflect on the fact that we do have an eternal destiny, that are lives are not as banal as we might sometimes think, and that we are called to something of everlasting significance. A true understanding of ourselves appreciates that there is something definitive about our lives and our actions. The things we do have eternal consequences. Some people might think that it would be great if all of us were granted the same reward at the end regardless of what we have done, but this would trivialize the reality of good and evil. If I do good things, does it really have no significance? If I persecute people, make them suffer and compound their misery, is it really of no consequence? Someone commented once that at the end of time it will not be God who will demand justice from humanity, but humanity who will cry out for justice to God. How can we forget the occasion when John Paul II forcefully confronted the mafia at Agrigento in Sicily? He told them that there would be a day of reckoning and that they should never forget that fact. Our lives are not lived in vain; there is something definitive in the things that we do! Indeed, it can be a cause of anguish when we consider that there is something irreversible about life. The things that we have done are objective. They are not simply inconsequential.

 

Love is the criterion with which our lives will be evaluated. Every single act that I do today has eternal significance. It is either a “Yes” to love or a “No” to love. It is a moment that cannot be reversed and that has permanent meaning

What is the parameter by which are lives are to be evaluated? It is love. When confronted with this criterion, many things seem very small and silly. On the basis of this criterion, every single day takes on a significance that goes beyond itself. This Sunday – the end of the liturgical year – we reflect on the end of all things. This prompts us to remember, as St Ignatius of Loyola did, that there will be a reckoning for all the things that we have done. If I was on the point of death and had the time to think, if the Lord conceded to me the grace to reflect on my life and ask for pardon, what would I ask myself? I would ask if I had truly loved others, if anyone had become happy on account of me, if anyone had been clothed by me, if anyone had their thirst quenched by me, if any lonely person had been visited by me when they were closed in a prison, if anyone had been welcomed by me, shown mercy, had their poverty diminished, had their alienation lessened, had been welcomed tenderly as a pilgrim. I have been a pilgrim myself a thousand times, after all, in need of acceptance. I have suffered hunger many times and needed someone to nourish me. I have been shielded by the patience of another, have been visited  by the sacrifice of others. The Lord Jesus says, “Every time you have done these things to someone else, you have done them to me.” We cannot separate our acts from their eternal dimension. When we do something good to another person, there is something permanent in that which we are doing. “Every time you have failed to do these things to these little ones, you have failed to do them to me”. Unfortunately there is also something eternal in our “No” to love. How many times have we stubbornly said, “He deserves his fate, he deserves his imprisonment, his bad fortune”, and we have forgotten that each one of us has been liberated from prison, that each one of us has needed to be looked upon with tenderness when we were locked up inside the delusions of our own making.

 

Our lives might appear small and insignificant, but every single act of our has eternal significance

This is a fantastic Sunday for reflection and an opportunity to centre everything upon love. All things are to be measured, evaluated, considered from the point of view of their eternal significance. This small and miserable life that we appear to be leading is instead an eternal adventure. It is a life that has permanent and definitive consequences. Every single act has within it an opening onto eternity. Every act is far more significant than we can ever imagine.

“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.

  November 12th 2023. Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL: Matthew 25, 14-30

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

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

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GOSPEL: Matthew 25, 14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--
to each according to his ability. 
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two. 
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master's money.

After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents came forward
bringing the additional five. 
He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. 
See, I have made five more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. 
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities. 
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
'Master, you gave me two talents. 
See, I have made two more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. 
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 
'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. 
Here it is back.'
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter? 
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? 
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. 
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

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

 

SUMMARY: In the Gospel, a man is about to embark on a journey and he entrusts his servants with five talents, two talents and one talent respectively. At the time of Jesus, a talent was worth 33 kilos of gold – a genuine fortune! This man is giving his entire wealth to his servants! This makes us think immediately of the Lord Jesus who bestows on us incredible gifts and immeasurable graces. But why do some people respond well to God’s gifts, while others respond in a mediocre and half-hearted way? The answer is given by the third servant. He tells the master than he buried the talent because he was afraid of him. “You are a demanding master, sowing where you do not reap”. This attitude to God is at the root of our mediocrity. We do not enter into the grace that Jesus gives us because we are suspicious of the Lord. We think that he is really looking for something from us! We suspect that God is only giving to us so that he can get something from us that we really don’t want to give. This image of God is unfounded and offensive! The Lord has emptied himself for us, but out of his infinite generosity, not so that he can gain something in return! It is true that he wishes us to respond, however, if he is to bestow even more blessings on us. That is why the first two servants receive even more bounty because they “were faithful in small matters”. This Sunday let us banish from our minds the image of a demanding God and reflect on his love and mercy.

 

The readings speak of God’s invitation to use the gifts he has given us. Some respond well to God’s call and others do not respond at all. Why?

In the first reading we hear of an industrious lady who is able to achieve wonderful things from that which is allotted to her. The reading holds up the beauty of fruitful works, and the joy they bring to others. It is a privilege to work and it one of the things that gives meaning to our lives. The Gospel reading presents the famous parable of the talents in which a number of people are called to work. We hear of people who accept their call to work and manage to produce wonderful results, and we hear of another who does not respond to the call. How can we understand the reasons behind these contrasting attitudes?

 

A man distributes enormous wealth to his servants. The Lord Jesus, similarly, gives us immeasurable gifts

A man is embarking on a journey and he decides to distribute his goods: five talents, two talents and one talent, according to the capacities of the recipients. But just how much is a talent? If we go to any Bible with tables of information at the back, we will discover that, at the time of Jesus, a talent corresponded to 33 kilos of gold. Thus, we are talking about a real fortune. The man has handed over his entire wealth to these men. Of course, this man is to be compared to the Lord Jesus. Jesus does not give us small favours. He entrusts us with immense gifts, with unlimited graces, with the power of the sacraments - which is enormous in comparison to the smallness of our lives. So we receive these immeasurable gifts from God and some of us put these gifts to work. Often we meet people who have received some special grace from the Church or from Divine Providence, and they have entered into this grace. But why do some people not enter into the grace that they have been given? Even the man who received one talent has received something virtually immeasurable. What prevents him from using it?

 

The servant does not use what the master has given him because he fears the master. He thinks that the master is not really giving him a genuine gift but is actually demanding something difficult from him

Let us examine the psychology of this servant when the master speaks to him. The servant replies, “I know that you are a demanding person, reaping where you do not sow and gathering where you do not scatter. I was afraid and went and hid your talent under the ground. Here it is back”. The servant is afraid to enter into the great affairs of God because he is afraid of God! This is what makes people mediocre, and indeed this servant is an image of the mediocre Christian, the person who does not open the doors, who does things in a tepid and half-hearted way. Why does this person fear God? Because he thinks that God’s gifts are just ways of camouflaging demands, that God’s gifts are really traps. If God is calling me to an encounter with grace, perhaps it is because he wants to exploit me?  He wants to gather where he has not scattered. He is demanding and wants more from me than he will ultimately give.

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The servant’s image of his master is the same mistaken image that many of us have of God. We think God is looking for something from us. God does not deserve this image! He is fundamentally someone who gives to us without end. He only wants us to respond to him so that he can give us even more!

This servant highlights a mistaken image of God. We tend to think of God as someone who appears to be giving us a talent, but who knows what he really wants? We look on God with suspicion. The Lord, with all his generosity, does not deserve to have this image! With all of us God is patient and generous, the very opposite to demanding. The mercy of God covers so many of our faults! If the Lord really kept an account of our deeds, who would be saved? The image of God presented by the servant as a demanding and pretentious tyrant is aberrant and unacceptable. It is the image of a God who wants something from us. Do we really think God needs anything from us? What could we give him? But when God gives to us it is only so that he can give us even more. In the case of the other two servants, the master replies, “You have been faithful in small matters”. For the Lord, the enormous quantity represented by the talents is nothing; he has so much more that he wishes to give us! When he offers something, it is solely out of generosity, not because he wants something in return.

 

This Sunday let us reflect on the generosity and patience of God and banish from our minds the image of a God who is demanding and vengeful

This Sunday let us enter into the truth about our heavenly Father, that which is revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is gratuity in person. Jesus holds nothing back and gives everything for us, even offering up his life on our account. We have no grounds for reasoning in the suspicious manner of the third servant. Why are we mediocre? Because we are suspicious of God and we therefore do not abandon ourselves to him. Mediocrity is widely diffused in Christianity and is fundamentally derived from an offensive and unacceptable image of God.

“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.

 November 11th 2023.

The Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time

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GOSPEL: Matthew 25, 1-13

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

​

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

 

GOSPEL: Matthew 25, 1-13

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: 

‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out”. But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves”. They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you”. So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.

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

 

SUMMARY

 The Gospel parable for Sunday is about the bridesmaids who are waiting for the arrival of the Bridegroom. Each one of us knows intuitively that we were created for something important and beautiful! We were created to encounter fulness, to encounter the Spouse of our hearts. If we lose the sense of waiting for this ultimate encounter, then we become shadows of ourselves. Even if our Spouse seems to delay in coming, it is worth waiting for him because he is so beautiful. Woe to those who extinguish hope in the hearts of young people! We need to say to young people with confidence: prepare yourself well for your mission of being parent, spouse, friend, student; you are being called to an encounter with the beautiful! Fill up with oil the jars of your existence! If it is necessary to wait for a while and be vigilant, then so be it! We must educate our young people so that they are know how to be vigilant for what is truly beautiful and meaningful, instead of living instinctive lives of vanity and emptiness. Our young people are often fixated with the transitory, with the next weekend, as if nothing else mattered, but they need to learn to use this present moment to prepare for something greater. Now is the time to fill our jars with oil. We do not know when the Bridegroom will come, only that he surely will, perhaps on the last day of our lives to lead us into the feast of heaven, or maybe at a critical moment when we wants us to show love to someone in difficulty. Be that as it may, now is the time to fill our jars with oil. At times, life challenges us to do something important or difficult, and we are there with our reserves empty. Let us be ready for action, filled with oil. Sometimes we are visited by beauty, but we are oriented to what is empty or fleeting, we are distracted, and we end up not growing. Let us be ready. Let us not trust tin ourselves but wait for the Lord.

 

Three parables in Matthew 25 are directed to three different groups of people: those who never knew Christ; those who work in the service of the Church; and those of us who are invited to enter into relationship with Christ here on earth.

Chapter 25 of Matthew provides the readings for the three last Sundays of this liturgical year, with three parables on the judgments to which humanity will be subjected. The third parable is for those who meet Jesus for the first time at the end of time, the scene of the King-Shepherd who divides "all peoples" among those who, even if they did not know it, took care of and welcomed Jesus in the poor, and those who did not reach out to the poor. The second parable (that of the talents) is for those who have been in the service of the Lord. Have they carried out their mission in the way they were called to? This Sunday's parable is the first one in the chapter, and it is for those who were called to enter the feast together with the Bridegroom. They are those who have been given the privilege of encountering the Bridegroom and being invited by him into the Wedding feast to which humanity is destined, the salvation for which we were born. Have we made use of this opportunity or wasted it?

 

These parables have a serious message. We can fail and can lose the blessings that were possible for us.

In all three cases we are faced with a dividing line, a crossroads where life always has only two opposite outcomes: we end up either inside or outside! This is the tragic dimension of our existence; it is a fact that we are headed either towards the light or the darkness. We are challenged to accept this serious message: life can be wasted; we can misuse the chances we are given to make life beautiful. Whether we like this message or not, it is a fact. There is value in knowing that failure is possible and that we must get our act together. 

 

We have an innate sense that life has an ultimate meaning. We know intuitively that we are destined to enter into relationship with the Bridegroom. It is essential that we do not lose the sense of living for what is noble, just and beautiful.

In our parable, the meeting with the Bridegroom is not accidental but is the result of a period of waiting. We naturally have an expectation that life is leading to something meaningful; we understand from childhood that we were not born by chance; we sense that we are moving towards something important, that there is someone we are destined to meet. Every person who comes into the world is “programmed” for what is true, noble, just, lovable, and what is worth waiting for. And he must not miss that which he is destined for.

 

Like the ten young girls, each one of us tends either to live life seriously, aiming to do all things well, or we live it instinctively.

The ten young girls in the parable are awaiting their encounter with what is beautiful, but they wait in two different ways. Some do it instinctively, without preparation: they go out with their lamps and wait, without thinking about it. But important things should not be done in such a superficial way! The others make an investment for the beauty they expect to encounter, procuring extra oil for their lamps. For them, there is something at stake that is worth spending money on, worth the effort of preparation and organization. They are wise and are using their heads, whilst the others are foolish. Each one of us tends to be like these two types of youth: either we prepare for great things and aim high, or we base our lives on the immediate, on instinct. 

 

We all have opportunities to fill the “jars” that will provide light for our lamp. Each day, we have these possibilities to prepare, to grow, to unite ourselves with the Bridegroom

But those who sense the depth and riches of life are right. They feel the greatness of things and consider it worthwhile to prepare for it, to strive for it, to be ready to embrace it. There are many opportunities to grow and to prepare, at any age! We need to fill the “little jars” that we have with the graces that we receive here and there. These are the opportunities to receive oil, perfume, and a source of light for our lamp. It pays to prepare. Hope, says St Paul, does not disappoint.

“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.