November 2nd 2025. Feast of All Souls

Gospel: John 6:37-40

______________________________________________

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

 

Gospel JN 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

 

SUMMARY

The Feast of All Souls is not a sad feast that looks back in time. It is a Feast of hope in the resurrection. Our loved ones are not behind us in history, but ahead of us. They have crossed the threshold to the true destination of our lives. But what is our hope of the resurrection based upon? Is it founded on our own merits, on the capacities of the human flesh? No! Our hope in eternal life is utterly based on the paternal love of the Father who has the power to raise us in the same way that he raised Jesus from the tomb. On this feast of All Souls, we contemplate the choice that God has placed before us. He gave us life and wants us to have eternal life. But he cannot compel us to follow him and have life. True love doesn’t compel! The choice is ours! But it is not a choice that is focussed merely on the future. It is the choice to accept God as my Father today. Once we begin to live this daily relationship with God, trusting in his paternal life-giving nature, then we look towards the future with hope. And we become confident that we will see our dear departed in the future. God loves each of his creatures and he will hold them in the palm of his hand until we meet them again.

 

Our dear departed are not behind us in history but ahead of us. They have taken a step forward and await us at our true destination

The words of Jesus in the Gospel come from his wonderful discourse at Capernaum where he describes himself as the Bread of Life. In the passage we read on Sunday, Jesus tells us that the Father’s plan for everyone is the resurrection. The Book of Job tells the story of an afflicted man who looks towards death and towards that which comes after death. He sees his Redeemer who is beyond the flesh, beyond the limits of the human body, which, as Job experiences it, is already undergoing decay. The Feast of All Souls, similarly, is not a sad event but a proclamation of our faith in the resurrection. On this feast, we feel grief for the loved ones that we miss, the dear ones that we cannot embrace or speak with at this time, but we are consoled by the good news that we are headed towards the resurrection. Our loved ones are not behind us in history, but ahead of us. They have made a leap forward. Death is the threshold of something new, not a wall where our existence is wiped out. Once we cross the threshold of death we arrive at our true destination.

 

Is our faith in eternal life based upon ourselves?

On what is our faith in the resurrection based? The human longing for a life that never ends can be based on many things. Different religions have different ways of expressing their understanding of how we can go beyond the limit of death. However, if the answer is based on ourselves; if we look within the human condition for the solution of how we can live forever, then our hope will be something very precarious because it is evident that we are limited and vulnerable. Our lives can be destroyed in an instant. It is easy to make us suffer or to lose our lives altogether. But our hope is not based on ourselves! Job says, “I know that my redeemer lives!” As Christians we know that the one who saves us is very much alive. I do not base my faith in the resurrection on myself or on my merits. I can produce nothing of myself that is capable of cancelling the limits imposed by death.

 

Our hope in the resurrection is based on the omnipotent paternity of God

In the Gospel Jesus says it even more clearly. “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day”. This is God’s plan for humanity, and we are invited to believe in this plan and open ourselves to it. God is life and his plan for us is a plan of life. Our hope in the resurrection is ultimately based on the omnipotence of God, on the power of the heavenly Father who raises his only begotten Son from the tomb and extends this possibility to me. It is the contemplation on the paternity of God, the capacity of God to generate me and give me life, that dissolves my desperation in front of the despair of death. My redeemer lives! My heavenly Father has a single plan for me, and that is life. God is not someone who does things half-heartedly. He began this life that is within me and he doesn’t intend to lose it!

 

God offers me life, but he cannot compel me to accept it

The only limit that exists in God’s love is that he cannot do otherwise except allow us to be free. I can accept his offer of life or reject it. If God’s love imposed itself and gave us no option except life, then I would be something akin to a video game in the hands of God, a fleeting entity whose movements are determined by another. But I am a real person, someone who can accept or reject God’s offer of life. On this Feast day we contemplate the fact that saying “yes” to God’s plan brings salvation and eternal life.

 

Our hope in future life is grounded in the present. The relationship I live today with the Lord is a relationship of trust that constantly contemplates his paternal life-giving nature

Belief in God’s salvific plan of life is not simply a focus on the future, on what comes “after”. It always involves an acceptance in this moment of a relationship with God that guarantees what will come after. If today I experience that God is a paternal being who generates life in me, who stands always on my side and recreates constantly, then I will naturally gaze towards the future with hope, confident that my dear departed are not lost but are waiting for me. They are in the hands of God, and God does not allow his dear creatures to fall through his hands easily.

“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.

 October 26 2025. Thirtieth Sunday of the Year

GOSPEL: Luke 18, 9-14

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

 

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

 

GOSPEL: Luke 18, 9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

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

 

SUMMARY

In Sunday’s Gospel we hear of two men offering two kinds of prayers to God. The first man is a very upright and respectable man who exploits nobody, but his prayer does not reach heaven! The second man is a terrible sinner who lives a life exploiting others, but his prayer is heard by God! What is happening here? The difference is that the publican has a correct viewpoint of his own sinfulness in comparison to the holiness of God, and as a result he begs for mercy. By contrast, the Pharisee focusses on his own holiness in comparison to the sinfulness of others! We like to compare ourselves to others, especially those who are struggling. That is why crime sells and why gossip is so popular. But when we place ourselves before the crucified and risen Christ, contemplate his holiness and consider our own sinfulness, then we realise with the publican that the only thing we can do is ask for mercy.

 

1. Prayers that reach heaven, and prayers that are not prayers at all.

In today’s gospel we are presented with two different types of prayer. One prayer manages to reach heaven, but the other doesn’t. Firstly, though, let’s have a look at the two men who are doing the praying. One is a tax collector. Maybe, we have a sugar-coated idea of what tax collectors were like. The fact is that they were not good characters. They would rip off their own people on behalf of the Romans with exorbitant taxes that would actually ruin families. You could say that they were among the worst people around at the time. The second man was a Pharisee. Pharisees knew the Law of God and observed it. They were men of prayer, fasting and good deeds. As the Gospel recounts, both of these men go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee places himself at the front, standing there upright, looking up to heaven. The tax collector remains at the back, bent over with his eyes on the floor. The Pharisee’s mistake is to think of himself as worthy by despising others. That attitude does not go down well with Jesus! St Paul says, “If I had the gift…to…comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

 

2. The Pharisee measures his own righteousness in comparison with sinners.

The Pharisee is using a particular scale to measure his righteousness, and that scale is a comparison with thieves, prostitutes, and sinners (like the tax collector behind him). His prayer is not really a prayer at all. He is full of himself, ranking his own person first above everybody else. If you want to feel good about yourself, or so he thinks, you just have to think of those who are inferior to you. That’s why crime news sells so well and why gossip is so captivating! It makes us feel better about ourselves.

 

3. The tax collector measures himself in the light of God.

In complete contrast, the unit the tax collector measures himself with is God. Before God, we are all unworthy. Before God, we know that the only way we can be saved is through God’s mercy. The tax collector is acutely aware of this. We need to see ourselves in the light of God and with nothing else. This is what will open our eyes and show us that we are not here to compete with one another, but we are here to be redeemed and saved. That is the real truth of our situation.

“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.

October 19th 2025. Twenty-Ninth Sunday of the Year

GOSPEL: Luke 18, 1-8

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

 

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

 

GOSPEL: Luke 18, 1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

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

 

SUMMARY OF  HOMILY

Sometimes we think that prayer is something detached from life. We think

prayer takes place at set times and in special exclusive places. Prayer happens on the “mountain”, we surmise, whereas real life takes place down on the “plain”. Sometimes people challenge nuns in contemplative orders and say, “Why don’t you do something useful instead of just praying?” This question arises out of ignorance. Without these nun the life of the Church would have no depth and would bear no fruit. In the same way, prayer must be at the heart of all my daily activity if my life is to be fruitful. How essential

it is to be aware of the importance of prayer for authentic life! We must realize that we cannot do anything worthwhile unless we have a life of prayer. The parable of the poor widow and the lazy judge applies to each one of us personally. Within you and me, there is the poor and noble widow who seeks meaning and justice, and there is also the lazy judge who just wants to do the minimum. Our greatest enemy is mediocrity, a lazy

tendency to live superficially. It is essential that we pray to the Lord continually, throughout the day, in everything that we do. When we pray, the noble spirit within us perseveres like the widow, and in time it will bear fruit, overcoming the mediocre and superficial judge within us.

 

Sometimes we think that prayer is something detached from life. Prayer takes place on the “mountain” whereas real life happens down on the “plain”. But prayer must be at the heart of all my daily activity if it is to be fruitful.

This Sunday's first reading tells of a battle involving the army of Israel down on the plains,

while Moses prays up on the mountain. When Moses raises his arms in prayer, Israel wins,

but as soon as his arms fall, Israel begins to lose. Often, we tend to think that prayer takes place

on the "mountain", while life is played out down on the "plain". When we are preoccupied

with life’s affairs, our relationship with God might seem distant, remote, useless. We feel that

are too many other things to think about! People of prayer, like consecrated women in

monasteries, are often asked questions such as: "Why are you here instead of doing useful

things in the world?" These questions come from ignorance. If the Church did not have these

sisters in prayer, it would be just one more NGO - as Pope Francis remarked years ago.

Every visible act has an invisible heart. If my ministry is to proclaim the Gospel, then, for

my ministry to be fruitful, I need a Church that is praying for me. It is this prayer that make

my evangelization the fruit of a communion between the visible and the invisible, between

prayer and works, between God and humanity. Without prayer, Christian acts lose their depth.

 

We must remain aware of the importance of prayer for authentic life. We must realize that we cannot do anything worthwhile unless we have a life of prayer

In the same way, a married couple cannot live their daily life and its activity without the secret of intimacy, without an "enclosure", without their personal dialogue, their coming together, their acceptance of each other. If they neglect this hidden part of their relationship, they will lose everything else. But neither can the couple persevere in intimate relationship

with each other if they lose sight of the bigger picture, the goal of their shared life together.

Similarly we will not persevere in prayer if we do not see it as being essential for authentic

life as a Christian. In the Gospel, the widow of the parable is tenacious: "Give me justice

against my adversary!" This woman knows two things: that she deserves justice and that

there is someone who opposes her right to justice. Prayer remains alive if we remember

that it is our duty to live authentically, to possess the Holy Spirit. We remain true to prayer

if we do not forget that we were born to have love in our hearts and do something worthwhile

with our lives.

 

Within us there is the poor and noble widow who seeks meaning and justice, but there is also the lazy judge who just wants to get by. Our greatest enemy is mediocrity, a lazy tendency to live superficially. It is essential that we pray continually, so that the noble spirit within

us can prevail over the mediocre.

On the night of World Youth Day 2000, St. John Paul II continued to repeat the phrase: "Don’t give up!” Don't give in to the banal. In fact, we have an enemy and its name is “mediocrity” – the art of surviving just to get by. The habit of not loving anyone. The story of the lazy judge and the persistent widow is the story of the interior struggle within each one of us. We are poor and vulnerable like the widow, but there is a noble spirit within us who knows that our existence is not a mistake, that we are profoundly significant. But we also have a superficial spirit, a lazy judge who just wants to get by. Within us there is a battle between the profound and the superficial, between the noble and the banal. We pray in order not to lose sight of our greatness. At the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus asks: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" The Son of Man comes to visit us often, through graces and tribulations. When he comes, he will find faith in us if we do not yield to our true enemy, mediocrity. We were made for much more.

“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.