February 2nd 2025. The Presentation of Our Lord

GOSPEL: Luke 2, 22-40

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

​

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

​

 

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.

“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.

January 26 2025.  Sunday of the Word of God

GOSPEL   Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

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

 

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

 
GOSPEL   Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. We do not listen to the word of God in order to learn abstract concepts, but in order to live the present moment in which I find myself

In the first reading from Nehemiah we hear the very important account of the rereading by Ezra of the book of the Law before Israel. This is after the return from seventy years of exile. The exile occurred following centuries of the closing of the hearts of the people (and especially the kings) to the Lord. After this process of tragic degeneration, the people return and repossess their own history with this celebration of the liturgy of the word. In the Gospel, Jesus takes the scroll in the synagogue and reads the text from Isaiah announcing the coming of the Messiah. Then he rolls the scroll up again and returns it to the official. This act of re-rolling the scroll is very significant as it marks the fulfilment of the prophetic text. In fact, Jesus tells them that the words they have heard are being fulfilled in their presence. When a teacher explains a text that has just been read, his true motive is to connect the word of God to the reality we are now living, just as Ezra did in the reading from Nehemiah. We do not listen to the word of God in order to form abstract concepts, or to learn moral values, even if these are important. No, we listen to God’s word in order to live this present moment. This is what Christ does, when he unites the Word of God to human flesh in his very person.

 

2. The word of God is a marvellous instrument for welcoming, receiving, understanding and obeying the will of God for me

Psalm 129 tells us that the word of the Lord is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path. What is more important, the lamp, or the pathway that I must walk? What is important is the path, the life that I am living day by day. When we are attentive to applying the word of God to our daily journey, we are also attentive to the will of God for my life. The word of God is a marvellous instrument for welcoming, receiving, understanding and obeying the will of God for me. In a sense, we, and our lives, are a word of God, to be understood by means of contemplating his word. The most important thing, though, is not comprehending the word of God but becoming the word of God that we already are but do not realize. In the light of the Scriptures, we come to the awareness that we are the great masterpiece of God. It is essential and urgent that we give time to the word. St Jerome said that whoever ignores the Scriptures ignores Christ. We cannot understand the Christ who illuminates every man without understanding the Scriptures.

 

3. Christ’s liberation is here in this moment, despite its difficulties. Let us live this salvation illuminated by the word of God.

The liberation announced by Christ in today’s Gospel - the light for the blind, the freedom for prisoners, the glad tidings for the poor - this is all true in our present moment. It is correct to say that we are in difficult times, but yet Scripture proclaims that this is the time of our liberation. We too must roll up the scroll, not in the sense of forgetting the word of God, but in the sense of applying it, of living our present moment as the moment of salvation. The challenges we face are the pathway to life and light! Jesus is the key for understanding every problem and every grace in our lives. That Jesus might assist us in passing from comprehending his word to living it, to pass from reading Scripture to living it in the present moment.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

The theme this week is the power and efficacy of the word of God. In the first reading, the people of Israel rejoice when the long-lost book of the Law is read out to them. In the Gospel, Jesus goes into the synagogue and reads the announcement of liberation from the prophet Isaiah. These words are being fulfilled today in the people’s hearing, Jesus announces. The difficulty in our modern world is that words are being emptied of their meaning. Important words like “love” are being misused, profaned, and given contradictory and even perverse meanings. It is important that we recuperate the sense of the importance of words and God’s word in particular. We are rational beings and we are incredibly affected by the words that are spoken to us. We can be exposed to words of salvation or words of destruction. Think of the influence that the harsh words of a parent can have on the heart of the child. Think of the damage that the serpent’s word in Genesis 3 caused to humanity! But inside each one of us are the words of salvation that have been spoken to us through our personal history. How important it is to ponder these words often and proclaim them to others for their salvation also.

“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.

January 19th 2025.  Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL John 2:1-11

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

 

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

 
GOSPEL John 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine’. Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from – only the servants who had drawn the water knew – the steward called the bridegroom and said; ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now’.

This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. Each one of us is called to live in a spousal way, whether we are married or single. However, this existence can sometimes become monotonous or stale. What can be done when this happens?

The miracle performed at Cana is the first sign of the salvation Jesus offers to humanity. This Gospel is read to us after the celebrations of Christmas, the Maternity of Mary, the Epiphany and the Baptism of Christ. Now, after contemplating these mysteries, we turn to consider how they impinge on our lives. The theme of the wedding feast is an essential one because – regardless of the particular mission one might have - humanity is called to live in a spousal way (self-giving, unitive). However, some married people live as if they were still single, whereas some consecrated people live spousally, giving themselves in service to the Lord and others. Each one of us, regardless of our state in life, is called to live this kind of self-giving, to enter into this wedding feast. At Cana, however, the wedding feast takes a bad turn. They run out of wine. This recalls the moments in all of our lives when things become insipid, monotonous, dry and stale. We accept a mission, but later give in to the temptation of banalizing everything. This loss of the sense of the extraordinary can happen in marriage, ecclesial life and in many different areas.

 

2. We need the intercession of Mary! To have the beauty of our lives restored, we must respond with obedience to Christ, even in the little things.

When this happens what can we do? The intercession of the Blessed Virgin can obtain that which seems to be not forthcoming. In the dialogue of Cana between Christ and his mother there is something very profound, though obscured by difficulties in translation. What begins here will be completed at the foot of the cross. The sign Jesus performs is a little peculiar. In fact, he does nothing himself. The fulcrum of the event is in the words Mary expresses: “Do whatever he tells you”. This, effectively, is the same sentiment Mary expresses at the Annunciation. She gives us the key to resolving our insipidness. To have our beauty restored, we must learn to do what the Lord says. In Cana, obedience to God’s word involves the urns used for purification rites. These urns were lying empty which indicates that the family was not using them for the purifications prescribed by the Law. Great errors do not happen in isolation. When one begins to neglect our relationship with the Lord in small things then we risk falling into deeper infidelity. Jesus is directing the family to begin with these urns which had not been used for their proper task of purification. With Jesus, we return to obeying the little things well, and then the wine of greatness begins to flow! Sometimes when a disaster occurs, we do not see the small things that led to this situation.

 

3. When we allow God to have the reins in our lives, then he will achieve a transformation. The cross will be turned into the road to salvation.

The servants do as Jesus asks them, even though it seems totally incongruent! They take water in urns that were normally used for purification to be tested by the head waiter. He testifies that the wine is of an altogether different quality. Indeed, we have entered into something completely new here, something that humanity could never have achieved. God can change the nature of things. He transforms water into wine, a human being into the child of God, the cross into a road to salvation. This, the first of his great signs, is achieved by Jesus doing nothing. The servants carry out his word. When we fill with water the urns of purification, we will see the transformation that he can achieve. What matters is that we no longer do things as everyone else does them, but according to the initiative of God. This Gospel encourages us to see in Christ a completely new quality of things.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

The Gospel recounts the story of the wine running out at the wedding feast of Cana. A marriage feast is an image of the best of relationships, and is often used to symbolize the joy of a proper relationship with God. But the fact is that, sooner or later, the wine runs out in all human relationships! All relationships eventually encounter crises, but a crisis doesn’t mean that the relationship should be broken off or abandoned! A crisis is an opportunity to begin relying on God. Only the Lord can be the basis of a bond that is good and permanent. The crisis is an opportunity to lift the relationship onto a higher level. In the Gospel, when the wine runs out, what does Our Lady do? She turns to Jesus and instructs everyone to do as he says. When crisis comes in life then we must stop relying on our own strategies. Instead we must abandon ourselves in obedience into the hands of Jesus. When we abandon ourselves to him in obedience, then the wine begins to flow! Then we begin to live joyful and productive lives!

“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.

January 12th 2024.  The Baptism of Our Lord

GOSPEL Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

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

 

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

 
GOSPEL Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
"I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased."

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. Jesus is “mightier” than John because he is the beloved Son of the Father. We too can be even greater than John if we live as beloved children of God

Luke’s Gospel presents the baptism of Jesus as occurring during a moment of prayer. John’s baptism is one of conversion in preparation for the Messiah, but the one who is coming, the “stronger one”, will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Who is this stronger one? After the baptism, while Jesus is praying, the heavens are opened. This is the stronger one, the one who can open the heavens. The image of the Holy Spirit descending evokes the moment of creation, and, indeed, this is the new creation. Then a voice comes from heaven, “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. The stronger one, thus, is the one who knows the Father. Later, Jesus will say that John is the greatest among men, but the least in the Kingdom is still greater. John represents the Old Testament, the fidelity to the covenant, but we are greater than him if we live as children of the Father. In every single act that he does, Jesus demonstrates that he is the beloved Son. This is the key to baptism. We are adopted sons in Christ, because he is the beloved Son. We are not children of God in some independent sense, but because we are beloved in Christ.

 

2. We seek autonomy, life on our own terms. But the Father is the origin of our life, and we have life only because he loves us.

It is evident when a person is loved. We see it in how they reason, how they speak, how they behave. Equally, when a person is not loved, it is also obvious. The person who knows they are loved possesses something that cannot be taken from them. Children that are loved grow up differently to those who are not. They do not feel they are being constantly examined. As St Paul says in Romans, there is no further condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. When we are loved, we are welcomed and forgiven, for love always involves pardon. I exist because another (the Lord) loves me, is happy that I exist. We cannot have life of ourselves. Only the Father, who generates the Son, exists of himself. Unfortunately we seek to live in a different manner. In recent centuries, humanity has affirmed its autonomous existence. The truth is that we are children of our creator, we only exist because we have been loved.

 

3. We think are lives are constructed on possessions and abilities, but it is the love of the Father that is the most profound truth of our existence.

It is significant that the public ministry of Jesus begins with this affirmation from the Father. In every act, he is the Son of the Father who loves him. Everything Jesus does is an act of gratitude and love towards the Father, right up to and including his crucifixion. We are inclined to think that our lives hold together when we have possessions or talents. No! Our lives hold together when we are aware that we are loved by God. When this voice of the Father that speaks to Christ becomes a voice in our heads, then we are able to put up with anything! When, through the action of the Holy Spirit who enters us and recreates us anew, we hear “You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased!” then we will have discovered the most profound truth of our existence, that we are loved.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

At the time of John the Baptist, people were expecting the Messiah to come soon, but what happened at the baptism of Jesus took everyone by surprise. It was expected that the Messiah would be a righteous man who would call others back to a proper fulfilment of our duties before God. But what happens during the baptism is a stunning piece of divine revelation. The spirit hovers over Jesus and we hear the words of the Father, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. At the beginning of Genesis, the Spirit hovered over the waters and brought forth creation. Now he hovers over the waters of the Jordan and the new Adam, the beloved Son, emerges. And this is crucial for the understanding of our own baptism. When we reflect on Jesus emerging from the water, we should imagine that each one of us emerges with him to hear the voice of the Father who delights in us. The tragedy of humanity is our distrust in the loving fatherhood of God. At baptism, the Holy Spirit comes upon us and seals our identity as beloved children of a tender Father. The real work of evangelisation is the task of communicating to people that God is a loving Father who delights in each one of 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.