March 22^nd 2015.  Fifth Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL: John 12:20-30

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

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

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GOSPEL: John 12:20-30

Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, ‘Sir, we should like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them

‘Now the hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified.
I tell you, most solemnly,
unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain;
but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it;
anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life.
If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.
Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say:
Father, save me from this hour?
But it was for this very reason that! have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your name!’

A voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.
People standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, ‘It was an angel speaking to him.’

Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours.

‘Now sentence is being passed on this world;
now the prince of this world is to be overthrown.
And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself.’
By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . In the Old Testament, the people of Israel never managed to keep the Covenant. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of a future Covenant written on our hearts. How is this new relationship with God to be written on our hearts? In the Gospel, Jesus’ moment has finally arrived. Is this a moment of glory, or ostentatious victory? No, it is the moment when the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, yielding a rich harvest. The way of God is not the way of the prince of this world. The prince of this world follows the way of success and self-affirmation. We think that the “good” life is a life of health, entertainment and satisfaction. But Jesus shows us a different way: the way of self-renunciation and abandonment of oneself to God. Good marriages, parents and friendships are made by those who take the path of self-denial and self-giving. But how can we, weak as we are, be transformed from people who seek success and vain glory to people who lose ourselves in God? How can we achieve this attachment to God, the attachment referred to by Jeremiah when he spoke of a covenant written in our hearts? The answer is the life-transforming pardon of God. Through his pardon, offered to us by the Church, Jesus takes away our hankering after glory and the focus on ourselves. Our way of self-conceit is transformed into the self-giving way of Jesus when we experience his life-giving pardon.

The Old Testament is centred on the various Covenants in which God made an alliance with the people, but the people failed to live up to their side of the agreement. The prophet Jeremiah looks forward to a new Covenant written on our hearts.

The Old Testament is centred on the notion of the Covenant. The Covenant concerns the relationship between God and his people and the norms of behaviour that are associated with it. But the people never manage to fulfil these norms! In this context the prophet Jeremiah announces a Covenant of a different sort in which the people will finally manage to respond to the Lord. The new law will no longer be an external code but will be written in their hearts. But in what way will this happen? How will the people attain an attachment to the will of the Father? The text tells us that everyone, old and young, will know God even without the use of instruction. What is the key to this intimate knowledge of God? How do I achieve this profound experience of him that changes my heart? Before considering the answer, which is given in the last part of the first reading, we will turn to the Gospel.

The Gospel announces that Jesus’ moment has finally arrived. Is this a moment of glory, or victory, or self-affirmation? No, it is the moment when the grain of wheat dies to yield new life.

In the Gospel, Jesus’s fame has spread far and wide. Andrew and Philip come to tell the Lord that there are Greeks who wish to see him. All of us want to see Jesus, to meet him, to get to know him. When we go to find him, however, what do we find? The glorious envoy sent by God? Someone who is powerful and capable of imposing his authority on others? Instead we find a grain of wheat that dies. This is the surprising announcement of the Gospel reading. Through our Christian upbringing, we are already aware that Jesus must die on the Cross before rising again. Yet it is always a shock to our way of thinking to reflect on the fact that God does not choose the way of victory, or ostentatious glory, or self-affirmation. God’s way is the way of self-nullification and abandonment, the way of dying in order to give life to others. The image of the grain of wheat is very evocative. It must first undergo a process of decay. At the very moment when it seems to have been ruined, it begins to give rise to a new shoot. The process that appeared to be destroying it enables it to be itself, something that is fundamentally life-giving.

How do we manage to take the path of self-renunciation? By following Jesus, by experiencing his mercy.

Life originates in self-giving. Too often, when we are faced by problems, we think that the solution consists in having security, possessions, affirmation. But the real solution is to lose ourselves in God. How are we to do that with our simple, impoverished capacities? We can do so because Jesus has done so. Jesus manifested the glory of the Father using this way of self-renunciation. The Greeks wanted to see his glory and what they were shown was one who abandoned himself completely in the hands of the Father.

How is the new Covenant written on our hearts? When we experience his grace that transforms us from being self-fixated to abandoning ourselves in the arms of the Father

If we return now to Jeremiah, we find that the last part of the reading is a little surprising. How is this new Covenant to be written in their hearts without instruction of any kind? The Lord will forgive them their iniquity and no longer remember their sins. If we wish to approach God and feel unworthy, the problem is resolved with the experience of pardon. If we have hankerings after glory, we are saved and healed by the humiliation of Christ. All too often our problems are linked to our pretensions and self-conceit. We suffer because we look for glory that does not come. We long for the moment when life recognizes us, compensates us, gives us the satisfactions that we think are rightly ours. In reality, these problems aid us enormously by helping us to grow and become children of God. What is it that really counts? To be contented, to be healthy, to live life from one moment of gratification to the next? Or is it better to learn the art of abandoning oneself into the hands of the Father, and in this way learn to love our brothers and sisters?

The logic of the prince of this world is the logic of success and self-affirmation. This logic can only be opposed by self-abandonment in God. We manage to do this when we experience the healing pardon of God that transforms us.

The Gospel tells us that the prince of this world is now cast out. The Greeks want to see Jesus and expect to see something impressive or spectacular. Instead, Jesus speaks of his death and resurrection, and then mentions the prince of this world. For the logic of the prince of this world is the logic of success and self-affirmation. This logic is the enemy of fraternity, of marriage, of paternity, of service, of social cohesion, and of care of the weak. The logic of success, the logic of the prince of this world, is not beaten by opposing it directly. It is vanquished by abandoning oneself into the hands of the Father. This week we have the announcement of the death and resurrection of Jesus and of the forgiveness of sins. The human being does not need to be stronger, to have more intelligence, to be endowed with more gifts. He needs, in the first place, to be forgiven. The men and women of this world need to be forgiven in order to bring them to full wholeness and health. The forgiveness of the Lord which is made present in the Church is what writes the word of God, the new Covenant, in our hearts.

March 15^th 2015.  Fourth Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL: John 3:14-21

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

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

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GOSPEL: John 3:14-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

‘The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be condemned;
but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,
because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.
On these grounds is sentence pronounced:
that though the light has come into the world
men have shown they prefer darkness to the light
because their deeds were evil.
And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it,
for fear his actions should be exposed;
but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light,
so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . The Gospel this Sunday has the beautiful statement from John’s Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life”. The Lord presents us with such a marvellous gift, and our incredible dignity lies in the fact that we can freely welcome God’s unconditional love for us. But our freedom can also lead to the abysmal poverty that comes with rejecting the love of God. Every day we make many decisions about our health, our careers, our relationships, but there is one decision in life that stands above all others: will I welcome the light that is coming into the world, the love of God for me as a person? If I decide to accept this love, then my life must change radically. It is not possible to accept this love in an authentic way and continue living the banal life that I lead. Once I accept God’s love for me, then I must renounce my self-absorption, my reliance on my own works, my striving for the approval of others. What an incredible dignity we have been given! The capacity to accept God’s gift of himself or to renounce it! We all fail and we are all in need of pardon. The important point is not the greatness of our sin but the greatness of God’s love for me.

God loved us so much that he gave his only Son, but we must accept that Son. And accepting God’s love means to allow our lives to be changed completely

Lent is a battle for our hearts and for our inner freedom. The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally associated with consolation and joy. Christian joy is something that has its feet firmly on the ground. Our happiness is something that is always threatened. It must be welcomed, received and defended constantly. The Gospel of John has the beautiful statement of God’s radical concern for us: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life”. The sacrifice of a son that was asked of Abraham is now given by God himself out of love for us. This Son represents the gift above all gifts, bestowed on us because we are so important to him. As a result we are presented with the incredible and beautiful task of welcoming this gift, accepting the Son who carries us with him into the love of the Father. This possibility of salvation does not come without risk. We can believe or refuse to believe. And if we believe, then we cannot continue with the same banal lives as previously! The life that has opened itself to faith cannot be the same as a life that is closed to the faith.

Our enormous dignity consists in the fact that we are free to accept God’s love. But we also have the capacity to refuse it and to sink into abysmal poverty

The first reading gives a summary of a dramatic episode in the history of Israel. The Second Book of Chronicles was the final book in the Hebrew Bible, summarizing the narrative contained in the Scriptures themselves. The passage that we read on Sunday tells of the end of the Exile. There are two elements here: there is the joy of liberation, but this is preceded by great suffering. Israel had descended to the depths of its sinfulness. Its leaders had committed infidelity upon infidelity until the nation had fallen into the hands of foreign invaders. The point is that it is very easy to refuse the gift of God. Christian happiness is not guaranteed simply by virtue of the fact that we are baptized. The greatness of the human being is his freedom to choose; and it can also lead him into abysmal poverty. We can say yes or no to God. Our will is frail and our weakness is great, but we have the incredible possibility of accepting freely the love of God.

The principal decision that we have in life is whether or not to accept the love of God

There is one decision in life that stands above all other decisions. On a daily basis we are confronted with choices regarding our health, our careers, our approaches to different issues. But the real decision of life is whether or not to accept the light that is coming into the world. What counts in life is not acceptance by others, or the approval of the world, or whether or not I succeed in my enterprises. The only thing that matters is whether or not I accept the love of God, allow myself to be loved by Him. When the light comes into the world, will I place myself before Him? Poor as I am, I have the awesome capacity to accept the light. The one who does evil hates the light. All of us do things that are wrong and all of us are weak. The question is how attached we are to our own works, how trapped we are within our own self-absorption. The first reading tells of a people who live only for themselves, following their own ways, incapable of placing themselves in the light of God. As Pope Francis says, God never tires of forgiving us, but we tire of asking for forgiveness. On this Sunday of Joy let us ask for forgiveness! And what is forgiveness? What is joy? It is the fact of being welcomed by God even though we are poor. This is true happiness! But it involves renouncing our own false images of success. Coming into the light involves denying our own works and escaping from the illusion of self-sufficiency.

Just as the people in exile were liberated by a gracious act of God, so too the Lord is ready to free us for no other reason than his enormous love for us

The first reading tells us that the people were ready for liberation after seventy years of exile and suffering. At this point it had become very clear that the salvation being offered to them was pure grace, not something that they had won by merit. The joy of liberation, consequently, was not self-celebration but praise of God. Lent is in progress. Let us hurry to welcome the light, poor as we are. The thing to keep in mind is not the greatness of our sin but the greatness of the love of God for us.

March 8^th 2015.  Third Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL: John 2:13-25

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

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

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GOSPEL: John 2:13-25

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . The Gospel recounts the event of Jesus purifying the Temple and chasing away the things that should not be there. There is a clear parallel between the Temple of Jerusalem and the temple that is our bodies. Each one of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit and in need of the purifying activity of Jesus. The first reading lists the Ten Commandments. In the Old Testament these are always referred to as the “Ten Words”. They were not cold imperatives but statements of a loving dialogue with a providential Father. The Commandments were kept in the Ark of the Covenant in the most sacred part of the Temple. In the same way, the most sacred area deep within each of us should be a place where the word of the Lord dwells. This Sunday’s Gospel should prompt me to ask myself: What is in my heart? A relationship of abandonment to the providential love of God? Or a spirit of profit and self-gain? “To profane the Temple” in the Old Testament meant to place something that should not be there in the Holy of Holies. May the sacred place inside of me not be profane! May it be the place of a relationship of trust with my loving Father!

There is a parallelism in this text between the purification of the Temple in Jerusalem and the need to purify what is inside each one of us, since we are temples of the Holy Spirit.

The last line of this Gospel is a useful way to approach the meaning of the passage, even though it would be very easy not to notice it at all. We are told that Jesus did not need to be told what was in the heart of man, because he already knew. This verse can be used as a lens for viewing the entire story of the purification of the Temple. Jesus arrives at the Temple and discovers animals, doves, money changers and sellers. He fashions a broom and clears all of them away from the entrance to the Temple. The act is clearly premeditated. It is not a case of Jesus losing his temper, flying into a fury and losing control of himself. Such interpretations are  inconsistent with the wider picture of this symbolic, profound action on the part of Jesus. He then makes an extraordinary prophecy about his Passion and Resurrection. John places this event in the second chapter of his Gospel, immediately after the miracle at Cana. Matthew, Mark and Luke recount it to us just as Jesus is entering Jerusalem, shortly before the Passion. But John describes this event just after his account of the transformation of the water into wine, using the very jars used by the Jews for acts of purification. Then he goes to the Temple and cleanses it of the things that ought not be there.

Jesus found the spirit of profit and self-gain in the Temple. What does he see when he gazes inside each one of us?

When the Jewish leaders challenge him about his actions, Jesus begins to speak in a prophetic way about his own body. This connection between temple and the body of Christ is something that we are now well familiar with. The Church is the body of Christ, and each of us is called to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. John’s account contains allusions to all of these elements. At the end of the passage he tells us that Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. In this time of Lent it is important to focus on purification and on what is needed for a pure and healthy heart. “Purification” means “to pass through fire”. What is in our hearts that needs to be passed through fire? When Jesus enters the Temple, he finds merchants. In a parallel way we should realize that when the Lord looks into the interior of each of us, he finds a marketplace. He sees habits and attitudes that use the things of God for our own selfish ends.

The most sacred area of the Temple used to contain the Ten Commandments. These commandments represent a relationship of dialogue and trust with God. What is in inside us, in the most sacred area of our interior lives?

The first reading contains a statement of the Ten Commandments. What is the connection between the Commandments and the purification of the Temple? The Ten Commandments were contained in the Ark of the Covenant, and the Ark was placed in the most sacred part of the Temple. The Temple was divided into different sections. The Court of the Gentiles was an area where even the non-Jews could enter. Then there were areas reserved only for Jews, for the tribe of Levi, for the priest whose turn it was to offer the sacrifices, and finally there was the most internal zone, the heart of the Temple, the Holy of Holies where the Ark was kept. To profane the Temple meant to put something in that area that did not belong there. When the Gospel says, “Jesus knew what was at the heart of man”, we should reflect on what ought to be at the heart of any temple of the Lord. In the Latin tradition we speak of the “Ten Commandments” but in the Old Testament these were always referred to as the “Ten Words”. In other words, they were not abstract, cold imperatives, but a relationship of dialogue with the Lord. What is in man? Either God is at the heart of each one of us, speaking to us as an intimate providential Father, or there is deceit, the darkness that comes with refusing the authority of God. When the latter is the case, profit and conceit take over in the Temple. Jesus says, “Do not make a market of this place!” Either we have the paternal wisdom of God at heart, wherein we entrust ourselves to his providence in the Holy of Holies within each of us, or we are a marketplace, consumed by a spirit of self-profit that is never satisfied.

May this Sunday be a time when the sword of God’s word strikes us within, making us ponder what it is that lies in our hearts! Is it a relationship of trust with God, or a spirit of egoism and self-gain?

In this time of Lent we must focus on the state of our hearts. The word of the Lord this Sunday is like a sword that strikes at us within, enquiring what has taken the place of the relationship of trust with God. What is within our hearts? One of the Psalms says: “If you do not speak to me, then I am like one who goes down in the pit”. But if God speaks to my heart, then I am truly alive, happy and well.

March 1^st 2015.  Second Sunday of Lent

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

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

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

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GOSPEL: Mark 9:2-10

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleach could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Rabbi’, he said it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.

As they came down the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.

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

Kieran’s summary . . .

1. In the first reading, Abraham ascends the mountain to sacrifice his son. In the Gospel, Jesus ascends the mountain and the disciples discover that he is the divine Son that is offered to humanity.

2. By going apart with Jesus, the disciples discover his true identity. We too need to go apart with Jesus so that we can find out who he really is.

3. Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountain. They represent the Old Testament, which reveals the light of Jesus’ face. We too will contemplate the light of Jesus’ face when we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures.

4. After the Fall, Adam fled from God, not realizing how wonderful it is to be with the Lord. On the mountain Peter says, “It is beautiful to be here!” Peter rediscovers that which Adam had lost. We too can discover the wonder of being with the Lord if we generously set aside time to be with him.

5. Even from the Cross, the good thief discovers that to be with Jesus is to be in Paradise. This Lent may we discover our Mount Tabor where we can spend time with Jesus and learn to appreciate his beauty, just as Abraham discovered the beauty of God on the same mountain.

In the first reading Abraham ascends the mountain to sacrifice his son. In the Gospel, the Father reveals Jesus as God on the mountain and offers him to us

The second Sunday of Lent is traditionally the Gospel of the Transfiguration. Both the first reading and the Gospel describe mountain ascents. Abraham climbs a mountain to offer his son in sacrifice to the Lord; in the Gospel, Jesus climbs a mountain with Peter, James and John, and it becomes clear that God, too, is making an offering of his son. Abraham’s experience on the mountain is dramatic and full of enigma. As a result of the experience he comes to realize that God is much different than he thought. At this period of history, the Canaanites lived in the area and they had the terrible practice of sacrificing their children to the gods. In order to maintain their control over the things they valued in their lives, they believed that they had to offer to the gods the most precious thing they possessed. Abraham is in the process of getting to know his God, and he must still discover that his God is not of the Canaanite sort. Abraham soon discovers that God does not make demands but provides, gives the very best of himself to humanity. This discovery of the real nature of God comes to completion in the person of Jesus.

In going apart with Jesus, the disciples discover who he really is. We too must go apart with Jesus in order to get to know him

The story recounted in the Gospel is of the utmost importance. The Eastern Church considers this text to be of central significance for theology and spirituality. It highlights the importance of going away to a separate place in order to discover who Jesus really is, to behold his true countenance. In the Gospel, the disciples are given this privilege for a short time: they see Jesus as the Father sees him, not only as a man but also as God. For a while they Jesus in another way, not in the sense of being different but in the sense of being complete. As St Paul says, with the eyes of faith we look at the invisible dimension of things; we look on things as God looks on them.

Abraham discovered God on the mountain and so must we. We do so through immersion in the Scriptures (symbolized by Moses and Elijah) which reveal the light of Jesus’ face

Jesus reveals himself as God on this mountain. Abraham, our father in faith, had a definitive experience of God upon a mountain. We can see things from the perspective of the plain, or with the eyes of God from the perspective of the mountain. The disciples here see Jesus as light and splendour. No laundromat on earth could produce the whiteness that shone from Jesus. No human work can shine like the work of God. One of our most tragic and wayward tendencies is our persistent belief that we can manage on our own without God. But we are made to do things along with God and our neighbour. Without God and neighbour, we are not fully authentic human beings. Along with Jesus on the mountain appear Moses and Elijah. Moses is the giver of the Law, whilst Elijah is the greatest of the prophets. These two personalities represent many things. They speak with Jesus as the disciples look on. In this way they symbolize the Scriptures, composed of the law and the Prophets and which reveal the light of Jesus’ face. The entire Old Testament is oriented towards revealing the light of this man who is not just a man.

Adam fled from God’s presence, not realizing the wonder of the Lord’s presence. This Lent, may we discover the places where we can discover how beautiful it is to be with God.

Peter is afraid and doesn’t know what to say. He comments, “It is beautiful for us to be here!” There is no doubt that the beauty of Jesus must have been immense. But Peter says something more specific: “It is beautiful for us to be here! It is beautiful to be with you and to know you!” It was beautiful for Abraham to entrust himself to God completely. It was the moment when he became a father in the fullest sense. It is beautiful to be in God’s presence. We tend to put God in a compartment where he can come to our aid whenever we need help. But it would be better for us if we were with God all the time. On the Cross Jesus tells the good thief, “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. It is beautiful to be with Jesus, even on the Cross. It is good for us to be with Jesus wherever he is. After the Fall, Adam did not want to be with the Lord. When the Lord searched for him, Adam hid himself. Peter discovered that which Adam had failed to realize: “It is beautiful to be with you, even if I am weak and incompetent. It is beautiful to be with God!” A son doesn’t have to be on the level of his father in order to feel happy in the presence of his father. A student doesn’t have to be on the level of his master in order to appreciate being in the master’s presence. A creature doesn’t have to be perfect; he merely needs to know how to be with his creator. He doesn’t have to be autonomous; he simply needs to allow himself to contemplate his maker. This Lent may we discover our places of transfiguration! May we seek out our Mount Tabors where we learn to entrust ourselves to God and abandon ourselves as Abraham did. Lent calls us to experience intimacy with God so that we can descend from the mountain in the knowledge of the beauty of God.

February 22^nd 2015.  First Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL Mark 1:12-15

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

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

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GOSPEL Mark 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days,
and was tempted by Satan.
He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee.
There he proclaimed the Good News from God.
‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand.
Repent, and believe the Good News.’

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

Kieran’s summary . . . God makes a covenant with Noah after the flood. Jesus goes into the desert and then announces the Kingdom of God. Both of these episodes reveal that communion with God comes after the time of purification. The desert is an essential part of Christian life! Woe to us if we think we can enter the Kingdom, taking all of our illusions, fixations and self-deceptions with us! We need to be purified before we can enter the pure house of God’s love. Woe to us if we confuse the door that leads to our own limited goals with the door to the Kingdom of Heaven! There are many things we need to be rid of before we can make a real alliance with God. The experience of the desert rids us of these things. Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is at arm’s reach, but we must repent and be converted if we are to enter it. The word “convert” means to turn and face a new destination; the term in Hebrew means to return to the original state of goodness; in Greek it means to go beyond our habitual scheme of thinking. Lent is the season of the desert when we do all of these things! God wishes to make an intimate alliance with us, but he cannot make an alliance with our self-deceptions! Let us embrace this happy time of Lent and all that it brings: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, emptying of self. This purification is an essential part of orienting ourselves to the Kingdom that Jesus brings.

After the flood, God makes an alliance with Noah. After the time in the desert, Jesus proclaims the Kingdom. Purification is a prelude to communion with God!

In contrast to the First Sunday of Lent in other years (which present us with an account of the temptations of Jesus in the desert), this year we have the succinct account of St Mark. After the temptations in the desert, Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of Heaven. The first reading recounts the covenant God makes with Noah and with all living flesh. This comes in the aftermath of the flood when God vows that he will never again destroy life with a flood. The alliance with God comes after the time of tribulation. Similarly, when Jesus emerges from the desert, he proclaims the Kingdom of Heaven and asks that people repent and believe the Good News. This is a wonderful key for approaching the season of Lent. The time in the desert is an essential prelude to new life and communion with God.

The desert is an essential part of Christian life. To arrive at the freedom God wishes for us, we must be stripped of those things that limit our freedom

In Mark’s Gospel we are told that Jesus goes into the desert after he is baptized. Why could he not begin his mission immediately after his baptism? The text tells us that the Spirit drives Jesus into the desert. The original Greek terms is particularly violent, as if Jesus was dragged into the desert. This emphasizes that his sojourn there is no accident. The Spirit takes him to this place of desolation and temptation because Jesus must follow the same path that every human being follows. Every human being must reach the stage of forming an alliance with God. And it is not possible to arrive at the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven if we do not first make this journey that Jesus makes on our behalf. The Season of Lent every year is the happy time when we make this journey in a special way. We must go to the place where we can confront our temptations and be purified. We must face down the wild beasts and the dangers in a sacred space where we do not have our domestic comforts. Our need for purification is an essential need, a need that if often overlooked today. The journey to freedom, beauty and joy is not a victorious journey. It involves being stripped bare of those things that obstruct our entry into the Kingdom.

Do we really think we can enter the Kingdom whilst holding on to our disordered habits and behaviour? There are many things in our life that cannot enter the Kingdom, and we need the desert to rid us of these

Jesus, having taken on our flesh, confronts the desert. The desert is a fundamental element of the Christian life. Before Noah can make the alliance with God, he must pass through the period of desolation. Woe to us if we think we can enter the Kingdom, taking all our fixations with us! Woe to us is we think that we can cling on to our disordered behaviour and still enter the pure house of freedom, the splendid and joyful house of love! There are many things in our lives that must remain outside. It is simply not true that everything in life can be “canonised” or made acceptable. A cultural tendency in our time is to sanctify and regularize those problems that we are unable to face. We have certain internal or moral difficulties, but instead of confronting them, we convince ourselves that everything is fine as it is. But the human being needs purification; he needs to enter into combat with these aspects of himself; he needs the biblical flood to prepare him for entry into the Kingdom.

Lent is the season of reorienting ourselves to the Kingdom of God. But we must repent and be converted before we can enter the Kingdom. “Convert” means different things in different languages: to return to the original state of goodness; to turn towards a new destination; to go beyond our usual ways of thinking

Lent is a season when we reorient ourselves to the Kingdom of God. Jesus says in the Gospel, “The time has come”. In other words, this moment is a beautiful one, full of possibilities and good things. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We can be saved wherever we are and in whatever condition we are in. However, the next words of Jesus are important: “Repent and believe in the Gospel!” Believing in the Gospel is fairly easy because it is a beautiful thing, but the business of conversion is not so simple. It involves a definite choice on my part. The term “convert” literally means to turn towards a new destination. The old Hebrew word for conversion signified “to repent and go back to the original good state”. The Greek word that appears in the original version of the Gospel means “to go beyond my habitual way of thinking”. All of us need to return to the original state of goodness! All of us need to direct ourselves to the right destination! All of us need to go beyond our habitual schemes! We need to orient ourselves to that which is truly worthy of us.

God wishes to make an alliance with us, but he cannot make an alliance with our self-deceptions! We need the desert to eliminate these.

This Lent we need to enter into this time of purification, enter into this flood, establish a new alliance with the Lord. God will not make a covenant with my self-deceptions! The gate to the Kingdom of Heaven is not to be confused with the ambiguous gate that leads to my limited and self-referential goals. God gives us signs of purity and of freedom. The rainbow reveals the secret of light and of colour. It normally appears when the rain is over and the sun is breaking through. It comes after the tribulation, after we have rid ourselves of the unessential. In impoverished words, we are called during the season of Lent to enter into combat with our self-delusions, with the demon, with Satan. Who among us can face this combat by himself? We need Jesus to lead us and guide us. We need to enter into that space which has none of our domestic comforts. If we remain in our comfort zone, refusing to be challenged by other ways of thinking and living, then we will fail to make the leap to the most noble part of ourselves. We need the desert, an experience away from the banality of ordinary life. This experience makes possible the leap beyond our schemes of thinking. The fact is that the Kingdom of Heaven is beyond our normal convictions and comfort zone. It comes after the desert. Let us embrace this desert, this time of Lent, with all that it brings, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, sobriety, self-emptying! We need purification if we are to be oriented towards the Kingdom of Heaven.

February 15^th 2015.  Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mark 1:40-45

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

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

A special greeting to all our faithful readers in the Philippines!

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GOSPEL Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . A leper presents himself to Jesus and says, “If you want to, you can heal me”. God wants us to be healed in the fullest sense of the word! But the Gospel reveals that being healed is not just the absence of disease. It involves living a new way of life. In our parishes and churches, we receive innumerable graces. We ask God to heal us, to help us overcome anguish, resolve problems, take away suffering. But what do we do when God grants us the grace we ask? It is an indisputable fact that we behave in a frivolous and stupid way with the graces we receive, just like the leper in the Gospel. We return from Holy Communion and start silly chatter with the person sitting next to us. Graces and healings are not momentary events! Being healed of an illness is not just the absence of disease. Being purified by God is not an act that happens once and lasts forever. God wants us to assimilate and nurture these graces and healings, as the Gospel story demonstrates. Sometimes we doubt that God wants us to be healed and purified, but there can be no doubt that he wants us to be healed in the fullest sense of the word! The problem is that we do not nurture and possess the graces that he gives us. We have a responsibility to assimilate these graces and make them into a way of life that is beautiful, pure and wholesome.

The first reading gives the Old Testament regulations regarding leprosy. The leper was basically excluded from society

The first reading provides the perfect introduction to the Gospel and gives the regulations that are to be followed by those suffering from leprosy. Because it was such a contagious disease, the leper had to show concrete signs that he had the condition, such as torn clothes. He had to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” This made other people keep their distance. The leper, in fact, was required to remain on his own apart from the rest of society.

The leper appeals to the will of Jesus. What is God’s will for us? That we be healed in the fullest sense of the word!

In the Gospel, a leper approaches Jesus and says, “If you wish, you can cure me”. This man appeals to the will of Jesus. What is the will of God for us? When we pray, “Thy will be done!” we are speaking of that which God truly wants. Is what God wants something that has little regard for us? Or is the will of God totally bound up with his care for us? What God wants is that we are healthy, whole, and full of life! He wishes us to be clean and pure. When he sees the leper, he is moved to compassion. Our term for “compassion” derives from an expression that means “to suffer in solidarity with another”. But the Greek word for compassion in the original text of this Gospel means to be dramatically moved interiorly. Jesus is profoundly affected by his desire to heal this man. God, at the depths of his being, wants humanity to be happy.

The difference between being sick and being healed is not simply the absence of disease. We must live a healthy life. When God gives us a grace, we mustn’t just take it, end of story. This grace is not just an event in itself, but must be nurtured by us so that it becomes the beginning of a new way of life.

Jesus touches the man, even though he is a leper and the rules did not permit the touching of lepers. “Of course I want to!” Jesus says, “Be purified!” This is the will of God – that we be purified. The leprosy disappears, but Jesus then gives him some instructions that concern his convalescence. What does it mean to be healed? Does it mean to be simply without leprosy? Or does it mean to begin to possess a new state of existence that consists in living a life without leprosy? Many people ask for healings and graces. But graces are not simply received, they must also be possessed. The difference between being sick or healed is not solely the absence of illness. Being healthy involves living a healthy life with healthy attitudes. Otherwise a person cannot remain healthy for long. Jesus tells the man to go to the priest and to make the offerings prescribed by the Law. In other words, the healing has not finished here. He must now begin the process of living a spiritual life. Similarly, we should not simply “obtain” graces unthinkingly. When we return to our seat from Communion, do we start chattering about silly things with our neighbour? Do we spend even a moment contemplating what we have received? Do we give this grace a container in which it can be possessed for at least a moment?

When we receive grace, do we assimilate it and nurture it? Or do we use it frivolously and stupidly?

Jesus wants this man who has been freed from leprosy to remain silent about his healing and go through a process by which he can assimilate the gift that he has received, but he does not do so. The first reading tells us that the leper is someone who must remain excluded from society. We do not know how long the man in the Gospel had been ill, but it may have been a significant time, and during all that period he would not have been able to speak to anyone. So, instead of taking the time to possess his healing, he immediately exploits his new-found permission to speak with others. And how he speaks! He speaks with everyone and this means that Jesus is unable to enter the town. It is a curious fact: before the healing the man was expected to remain in desert places; after the healing it is Jesus himself who must remain in the desert because of the fuss that this event causes. How Jesus takes upon himself our illnesses, the consequences of our condition, and also of our stupidity! In our churches and parishes we receive innumerable graces, but it is an undisputable fact that we often manage these graces with frivolity and stupidity. We receive new and wonderful gifts, but we assimilate them according to the habits and attitudes of the “old man”. The leper in the Gospel has been given the gift of being restored to human society, but he uses this gift impulsively and reactively. His previous condition of being not allowed to speak conditions his response to being healed.

Being purified by God is not a once-off event. It is the beginning of a process of living a healthy and beautiful life. God wants us to possess the graces that he gives us and bring them forward, nurturing them into a way of life.

This Gospel tells us of the desire of God to heal us and purify us. But it also relates the need for each one of us to possess the graces we have been given and nurture them. We must not be content with the bare reception of the grace itself! This is only half of the real picture! God does not want us simply to escape from some vice, anguish, suffering or illness. He wants us to begin the process of living a life that is healthy, beautiful and pure in the fullest sense of the world. Becoming purified is not a once-off event. It is the beginning of a process that never ends. For all of our lives we must take possession of what is healthy, holy and really counts.

February 8^th 2015.  Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

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

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

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GOSPEL Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped, her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’

And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

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

Kieran’s summary . . . In the first reading, Job speaks of the misery and anguish of life. In the Gospel, all the miserable and anguished present themselves to the Lord and the Lord heals them. Our anguish and despair is the door by which the Lord gains entry to our lives. Don’t worry about your illness! Don’t be anxious about your limitations and inadequacies! These are the very means by which Jesus reaches you; this is the space in which the Lord moves!  We have two choices open to us, as Job had. We can complain about the fact that life doesn’t bring us the self-satisfaction that we crave; complain about the demands of others on us. Or we can see these limitations and the demands of others as an opportunity to go beyond ourselves in joyful service. How different it is to consider our body as an instrument for our own satisfaction, or to look on it as an instrument of service for others!  How different it is to look on our own lives as a failed venture in seeking our own advantage, or to look on it as a process of continual formation in the art of love, a journey of opening our hearts to the transcendent. In the Gospel story, Jesus is presented with the opportunity to enjoy the adulation of others, But he rejects that and states that he was sent to go and preach elsewhere. Like Jesus, we too were made to go elsewhere, to go beyond, to no longer live for ourselves and to give ourselves in joyful service to others.

The first reading from Job presents us with a picture of an afflicted humanity. We see the same afflicted humanity in the sick people who pursue Jesus.

The first reading presents us with the bitter picture of the suffering of Job. Job describes the suffering and anguish of the human being on this earth. His days are lived like a hired mercenary who longs only for his wages. At night he wonders when will it be morning, but when day comes he wonders will it ever end. The Gospel that follows is divided into two parts. Firstly, Jesus leaves the synagogue and goes to the house of Simon. The passage from synagogue to house is symbolic of the beginning of the church. Here in the house we meet the very suffering humanity that Job has told us about in the first reading. The mother of Simon is ill. Jesus confronts the vulnerability and limitedness of the human condition and performs a healing. The lady rises and serves them, demonstrating in the act of service that she is no longer the victim of her condition but is capable of looking after the needs of others, an example of the true healing of the human being! It is the Sabbath day and there is a Jewish prohibition on movement. But when night falls, all the afflicted people in the locality present themselves at Simon’s door. Jesus heals the sick and drives out demons. Then the Gospel changes tone and we move into the second part. In the early hours, Jesus goes away by himself to pray. Simon searches for him, saying that everyone is looking for him. Jesus replies that he must go to other cities to preach there, for that is why he came.

Our anguish and despair is the door by which the Lord gains entry to our lives

How can we illuminate these two parts of the Gospel in the light of the first reading? The anguish of humanity described in the first reading is the lead up to something else. It is the prelude to encountering the Lord! Our poverty, our “fever”, our limitedness, our fatigue, is the space in which the Lord can enter, the landing ground for his power to descend on us. It is in our poverty and illness that we experience the healing power of the Lord. Therefore let us not be anxious about our illness. It is a way for us to encounter the Lord! Every human limitation is a doorway for God to enter our lives! Our anguish, our desperation, our bitterness, is the space for the sweetness of God to be manifested.

Our role in life is either to be mercenary or missionary; to work for our own satisfaction or to serve others

Job speaks of the man who lives a life of drudgery and service on earth. He is a mercenary who is useful for as long as he has a job to do. After his work is done and he has received his pay, he no longer counts for anything. This bitter vision is completely overturned by Jesus’ view of himself and his mission. The Lord rises early to pray. Everyone searches for him and he is confronted with the temptation to enjoy his success. His response is, “Let’s go elsewhere! I came to preach in other places too.” He goes through all of Galilee driving out demons and healing people. This illustrates something for us: We can see our role in life as being mercenary or missionary. We can consider life to be an obligation in which we are required to do certain unpleasant things, or as an adventure in which we have been entrusted with something wonderful. How different it is to look on our daily life in a mercenary fashion, or as a mission to be accomplished! How different it is to look on the demands of others as a burden to be avoided or as an opportunity to go beyond ourselves in joyful service. How different it is to consider our body as an instrument for our own satisfaction, or to look on it as an instrument of service. How different it is to look on our own lives as a failed venture in seeking our own advantage, or to look on it as a process of continual formation in the art of love, a journey of opening our hearts to the transcendent. Like Jesus says in the Gospel, we were made to go elsewhere, to go beyond, to no longer live for ourselves. We were brought into the world in order to complete beautiful works. When we see a child we must immediately think, “Who knows what beautiful thing this person will accomplish!” When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we should ask ourselves the same question, ask ourselves what good thing we will achieve this day. Let us not look on life in the bitter fashion of the mercenary! Let us look at it as someone who has been called to love and serve others!