April 12th 2026.  Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

GOSPEL: John 20:19-31

_____________________________________________________________

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: John 20:19-31

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.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

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

 

1. The readings bear witness to a way of life, an inheritance that we possess that is capable of being tested.

According to the wishes of Pope John Paul II, this Sunday we celebrate the mercy of God, and we do so as a fruit of the resurrection. In the first reading, we see the way of life of those who live the new life of Easter, sharing everything they have, not as a political or social strategy, but simply out of love. They live lives centred on prayer and the breaking of bread, in other words the Eucharist. They live with joy and simplicity of heart. This way of life stunned the world and it has been passed down to us through the beautiful and marvellous lives of the faithful, diffusing itself from generation to generation. This new life is also testified to in the second reading from the letter of Peter which speaks of an inheritance that does not become corrupted, conserved for us in heaven, that no-one can steal from us, an inheritance that can be put to the test and proven for its authenticity, that gives a joy that bears us towards our goal, the fullness of life.

 

2. The apostles witnessed the effects of sin in the crucifixion of Christ. Now they witness the mercy of God in the fact that Jesus has been raised to life

In the Gospel, we hear of a life that enters through closed doors, that breaks down the defences of the apostles who have closed themselves behind barriers of fear. The Lord breaks down their fears and touches them with peace. Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so we too are now sent. We are gifted with something beautiful to do, the sacred will of the Lord, a mission. And this life that has erupted into this closed place of fear is a life of pardon, of mercy. If these disciples do not bear the mercy of God, who will? They have seen in the crucified Lord the documentation of the sin of humanity, the results of that sin, and now they see him risen. The resurrection of Christ shows us that the mercy of God goes beyond the errors of man.

 

3. Thomas meets Jesus fraternally. Christianity is always fraternal

The fact that Thomas is missing is important, because all of us too were missing that day, and Thomas shows us how to witness the risen Lord “afterwards”. How does he do that afterwards? Eight days later – the Hebrew way of expressing the passage of time of exactly one week – it is again Sunday, the central day of Christian assembly and worship, and now Thomas is present. Thomas is a twin, we are told, and a twin is a brother by definition and always. This Gospel tells us that it is with our brothers that we meet the Lord. What is Christian is fraternal, and what is not fraternal cannot be Christian.

 

4.  When Jesus says, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe, it is not a reproof to Thomas. All of us believe at first because of what we have experienced, but the day will come for each of us when we are called to believe even in times of darkness and doubt.

Jesus appears and invites Thomas to experience physically the wounds of Christ, marks of torture onto death. The wound in the side, in particular, is a wound that bears witness to the death of Christ as it was a wound given to those being executed to make sure that they were dead. Thomas is invited to experience this wound of a person who should no longer be alive, and is asked to no longer be incredulous but to believe. Thomas responds with the highest testimony of faith in the New Testament, “My Lord and my God”, the proclamation of the divinity and lordship of Jesus. Jesus says, “You have believed because you have seen, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed”. We sometimes take this as a reproof of Thomas, but in reality there are always these two phases to faith. First we believe because of what we have seen, but there always comes a time when we are called to believe even when we no longer see. There are the higher trials of faith when we are called to believe in times of darkness. These are the trials that Thomas and the saints are called to. He will eventually preach the Gospel as far away as India. The other apostles were all martyred for the faith. We have faith because of what we experience, and this faith becomes a practice, and one day we will be called to believe when all is in darkness, just as Abraham continued to do.

 

5. John’s Gospel presents us with these “signs” so that we will have life in Jesus’ name, not in our own name! How often we try to rely on ourselves, instead of leaning on him!

The Gospel tells us that we are told about these signs so that we will have life in his name, not in our own name. We tend to live life based on our own capacities, but we are called to live according to Christ, to believe when we cannot see, to lean completely on him. All the signs in the Gospel of John that we read during Lent – the wedding at Cana, the healing of the servant of the official, the healing of the paralytic, the multiplication of the loaves, the healing of the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus – all of these signs have a hidden interior that we are asked to contemplate so that we go beyond what we see, transcending the visible, until each one of us comes to have life in his name.

“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.

April 5th 2026.  Easter Sunday

GOSPEL   John 20: 1-9

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

 

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

 

GOSPEL   John 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. Easter always involves God doing something that human beings consider impossible

When Mary Magdalene sees the empty tomb, she immediately thinks that somebody has taken Jesus away. Our first explanation for anything is always in terms of people and objects. This is the classic horizontal way of looking at things, a form of “existential Cluedo”. We always presume that someone is responsible for any given fact and we immediately ask ourselves who did it. Easter, by contrast, is always about God doing something that we consider impossible. At the original Passover, the people of Israel found themselves in an apparent dead end in front of the Red Sea, pursued by an enemy that wished to massacre them, but then they discover the way of God. The last line of the Gospel passage says, “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead”. In the narrative, in fact, it is the beloved disciple who arrives at the tomb before Peter. The Fathers of the Church understood this to signify that love arrives quicker than reason. Peter and the beloved disciple also appear in a later post-resurrection scene on the Sea of Galilee when John recognizes Christ on the shore before Peter does. It was John also who managed to get Peter into the courtyard during the questioning of Jesus on the occasion when Peter denied his master three times. Encounter with Christ is never a private  affair, it always involves fraternity, an ecclesial elaboration.  If  the resurrection of Christ does not illuminate the fraternal relations we have with others, then it serves nothing. It leads to love. That is why it is the one who loves that recognizes and understands Christ.

 

2. The life of the resurrection involves leaving behind old habits and also old categories of thinking

When they enter the tomb, they discover the burial cloths folded up. Once we enter into baptismal life, we leave behind us the old man and vest ourselves in Christ. The garment of the risen body is not the garment of death. Whenever one encounters the resurrection of Christ, one changes “habit” in the sense of habits of life. The tradition was that newly baptised adults would wear a white garment for the first week after baptism, then they would deposit this garment on the tomb of a martyr. It was worn for one week only to signify passage from a habit (in the sense of a garment) to a habitual way of life. When one encounters new life, one leaves behind the old habits and objects that no longer serve. Then Peter too enters, sees and believes. Finally he is opened to the work of God and realizes that this is not the end but the beginning. Up to now, the apostles understood using their own categories of thought, but now it will be the Scriptures that will give them the categories for understanding what has happened.

 

3. The Scriptures reveal that God offers us life by means of a pathway that is not ours

How often during life we discover that something that appeared to be a way of death is actually a way of life. Following Christ is not about adopting a moral or ethical system but about entering into a new way of existence. It is God alone who can bring life from death. This is the mystery unveiled by the Scriptures – that God offers us life by means of a pathway that is not ours. Let us open ourselves to the surprise of Easter and let us be willing to live it. Let us abandon ourselves to the power of God, trusting that he can find a means of escape from the dead ends that confront us. This means of escape does not follow the ways of this world – in fact, it leaves them aside, as the garments of burial were deposited in the tomb. This new way of life becomes a marvellous way of existence, the way of life of the resurrection.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

The passage from the Gospel for Sunday’s Mass doesn’t mention an apparition of Jesus. Instead we have an empty tomb and the search for a missing body. Wouldn’t it have been better if we had read of an appearance of the risen Lord? But the passage is important for us because it shows us the very moment in which the bewilderment of the disciples turns into faith in the risen Lord. We see how the comprehension of what they had not previously understood finally dawns on them. The fact is that none of us "understands" the way God chooses for us, his solution to things. God does not save us in the way that we expect him to. Christian life is based on the power of a God who resolves our questions, not with mathematical logic, but according to an Easter strategy. This is the sort of strategy that opens a way through the Red Sea and makes a teenage boy defeat the giant Goliath. The Lord does not resolve the question of dying by avoiding death, but by passing through the middle. Someone once said that God does not save us from the night, but saves us in the night. Jesus does not protect us from problems, but transforms problems into meeting places with him. Problems, difficulties and tombs become wombs that generate new life and transform us into new creatures. This is what Easter of the Lord does.

“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.

MARCH 29 2026, Palm Sunday

GOSPEL: Mt 21:1-11

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL: Mt 21:1-11

When they were near Jerusalem and had come in sight of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village facing you, and you will immediately find a tethered donkey and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, “The Master needs them and will send them back directly”.’ This took place to fulfil the prophecy:

‘Say to the daughter of Zion:
Look, your king comes to you;
he is humble, he rides on a donkey
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’

So the disciples went out and did as Jesus had told them. They brought the donkey and the colt, then they laid their cloaks on their backs and he sat on them. Great crowds of people spread their cloaks on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in his path. The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed were all shouting:

 ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heavens!’

 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil. ‘Who is this?’ people asked, and the crowds answered, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee’.

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

 

SUMMARY

 Matthew is constantly citing the Old Testament, showing how Jesus fulfils the Scriptures. Why? Is it a way of defending the authenticity of Christ? But Scripture doesn’t need to certify itself! The main reason for these citations is to show that Christ is following the plan laid out for him long ago by the Father. He is not just improvising as he goes along. Christ doesn’t come in his own name but in the name of the Lord. As the people said when Jesus entered Jerusalem, “Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!” All of the sufferings that Jesus undergoes were foreseen by the Father and it was ordained that he would accept them. This does not mean that the evil that was inflicted on Jesus was willed by God. Sin is never God’s will. But the response that we make to evil is something that is desired by God. Jesus is faced with great evil, but he responds to it with the Father, in the Father, according to the Father.  In our lives too, a plan of salvation is unfolding. But we spoil that plan unless, like Jesus, we live as children of the Father. Since the Garden of Eden we have tried to be like God and act with complete autonomy. In the midst of tribulation, if we manage to live the events of our lives according to the Father, then the path of our lives becomes the plan of God, the story of our salvation. If I respond to the evil of the world with faith in God, hope in God and love for God and others, then the situation becomes an occasion of salvation. Don’t forget, the greatest evil in history, the killing of Christ, the most innocent of all people, became through faith the springboard of salvation. In these desolate days, if I can choose to make acts of faith, acts of abandonment to God, acts of fraternity with others, then all of this darkness can be transformed into light.

 

1 Matthew is constantly citing the Old Testament, showing how Jesus fulfils the Scriptures. Why? Is it a way of defending the authenticity of Christ? But Scripture doesn’t need to certify itself. The main reason for these citations is to show that Christ is following the plan laid out for him long ago by the Father. In our lives too, a plan of salvation is unfolding   

If we try to listen in a united way to the Passion of Jesus according to Matthew, we note that many times, explicitly or implicitly, the scriptures are quoted. This feature pervades almost every paragraph of the story. In the other evangelists this element is also present, but in Matthew it is very pronounced. Why? Perhaps the evangelist wants to emphasize: "Have you seen? Jesus fulfilled exactly what was written. He was in the right and our testimony is confirmed by Scripture". No, the Word of God is not so trivial. It does not need to certify itself. It is not on the defensive, but it is proactive, creative. So why does Matthew make all of these citations to the Old Testament? Because they demonstrate that Jesus is not merely improvising. Like a musician he is following a score. He is carrying out the Father's plan. According to Matthew, the last word that Jesus says is the quotation from Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is not only an expression of his pain but the key to everything. In fact, if we go to read that psalm, we will see the entirety of his passion expressed as a prayer, right up to the glory of the resurrection. To understand where his pain is leading, you must read that psalm. It is quite true what Saint Jerome said: "Ignoring the Scriptures means ignoring Christ". But how does this perspective help us? When salvation enters our existence, it begins to reveal that our history is not just a succession of human acts, There is, inexplicably, a plan of God unfolding in our lives. And this plan is always a plan of salvation. Human responsibilities exist, our faults exist, injustices exist, and evil must not be done, and those who commit injustices will account for it to God. Pain must be alleviated, cured and, if possible, avoided. But there is a plan that God, despite the evil that we do or suffer, still carries out.

 

2. The current passion that we are experiencing can become an occasion of salvation if we can unite ourselves to Christ and live it in love.

God knows how to draw good out of evil. And he has only one project, as St. Paul says: "He wants all people to be saved" (1 Tim 2: 4). Salvation is being offered to us always, in all the things that happen to us, even in those of which he will then ask for an account.
Where do the evils of our time come from? We may never know. But the hidden pathway towards our salvation can also be found in this situation. If God has saved the world by means of the greatest of crimes, the cross of Christ, then our faith announces that even in the immense pain of our present world, salvation can be won. The evil that is being suffered by many people is reversed by God when this painful situation becomes an occasion for a person’s conversion and salvation. But these tribulations we suffer are not an automatic mechanism that leads to salvation. They are an offer from God and the choice is ours. The cross in itself is only a gallows, Christ made it an act of love. This is the opportunity being presented to each one of us now. We are undergoing a passion, but it can be lived in love. Ours always remains a salvation story.

“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.