Homilies, San Francesco Catholic Church, Page 11

Homily for Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023

We decry that, a long time ago, many in our society took Christ out of Christmas. As believers, at Easter, our disappointment should be double! A first disappointment: Ester bunnies have absolutely nothing to do with the risen Lord, while eggs and newly hatched chicks could be symbols of new life and, thus, be somewhat connected to Christ’s victory over death. There should be a second disappointment troubling true believers: so many fail to live viscerally and wholeheartedly in the supernatural reality brought about by the Resurrection. “If then you

by Fr. Dino Vanin April 14, 2023April 14, 2023

Homilies

Homily for Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023

There is something unique about Holy Week. We know that, starting with Palm Sunday, we should be reliving the events which erased the wrongs of our past, give meaning to our present and shape our future with a promise of immortality and eternal glory. Today’s passion narrative (Matthew 26:14 – 27:66) has a particular significance amid all the mysteries we will be reliving in these days with a heavy heart. We experience shame for being the cause of what Jesus had to endure; we feel sorrow for our broken promises; but, in our imperfect love for him, we would also l

by Fr. Dino Vanin April 5, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 5th Sunday in Lent, March 26, 2023

In my 50 years of ministerial priesthood, I found myself confronted by situations that elicited in me spontaneous, irrepressible pity. As a priest, of course, I know, and I preach about the value of suffering in union with Christ. I maintain that euthanasia is a direct interference with God’s plan for a dying person. But, in hopeless cases, marked by palpable, futile struggles, the prayer that, time and again, rises from my heart and floods my mind is a variation of this: “Please Lord, call her to yourself without delay; please, merciful God, lead him into your Ki

by Fr. Dino Vanin March 30, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 4th Sunday in Lent, March 19, 2023

For true believers, spiritual blindness is much worse than physical blindness; it would disrupt our life in all its aspects, keep us from enjoying it fully and from bearing the fruits of the Spirit. Of course, the worst type of blindness is the self-inflicted variety, proper of those who refuse to see. Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains. John 9:40- 41 This deadly type of b

by Fr. Dino Vanin March 23, 2023March 23, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Lent, March 11, 2023

In the gospel of John, perhaps more than anywhere else in the Bible, every single word is laden with symbolism and chosen carefully to evoke other significant, grace-filled events. The mention of a well tells those familiar with Holy Scripture that, today, the Lord is looking for a romantic encounter with our soul. Rebekah was chosen as Isaac’s bride at a well (cf. Genesis 24:15-65) and Zipporah as Moses’ wife at a well in the land of Midian. (cf. Exodus 2: 16-21). It is safe to say that the Lord Jesus is keenly aware of the real state of our soul, while we

by Fr. Dino Vanin March 16, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, March 4, 2023

The only way this narrative of the Transfiguration of Jesus becomes relevant to us is by considering ourselves as members of the Body of Christ, as one with him. If this were not also “our Transfiguration” it would be just a simple recollection of a wonderful, distant event that took place 2000 years ago. The preface of today’s Holy Mass indicates clearly that any mention of the Transfiguration is done to help us overcome the huge scandal, the massive obstacle of the cross, i.e. of suffering, ours and of others. Marathon runners are painfully aware of “hitting th

by Fr. Dino Vanin March 9, 2023March 9, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 1st Sunday in Lent, February 26, 2023

At least once a year, we need to overhaul our relationship with Christ Jesus and make sure that we return to the right path to heaven if we had strayed and had become unheedful of the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. This spiritual overhaul is strictly the work of the Holy Spirit as it is the Holy Spirit the divine Agent of Baptism. The Holy Spirit descended in bodily form as a dove on Jesus after he was baptized by John in the Jordan River; and it is the Holy Spirit who anoints us sons and daughter of God the Father at our Baptism. Those present at Jesus’ baptis

by Fr. Dino Vanin February 28, 2023March 3, 2023

Homilies, Uncategorized

Homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinal Time, February 19, 2023

You have heard what Jesus just told us. Now, perhaps more than at any other time, the obvious question might be: Should we take him seriously? At Mass, usually we give the Gospel our undivided attention, but only for a short time, and provided that the homily is half-way decent. After that, life’s routine, pressing issues, unresolved situations, fatigue, boredom, reoccurring dreams, a lot of things push even the best, more challenging statements of the Gospel in the hazy background of the mind. However, this time it must be different if nothing else becaus

by Fr. Dino Vanin February 24, 2023February 24, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinal Time, February 12, 2023

These two long pages of the gospel can be summarized thusly: “if you are dissatisfied with people and situations, a lot depends on you and on your inner disposition.” Hence, to achieve lasting changes in people and situations, we ought to begin by changing our inner attitude. And, to do that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we must acquire some fundamental virtues. To drive this point home, Jesus uses strong, shocking, incisive, compelling words, because any changes we decide to make in our heart can be made only after we have a thorough knowledge of what goes

by Fr. Dino Vanin February 16, 2023

Homilies

Homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinal Time, February 5, 2023

Today’s gospel passage offers two vivid images that Jesus must have picked up from his Mom, as well as from the simple, daily life of his village of Nazareth. Salt and light. In ancient time, salt made life better, more livable, and oil lamps extended activities otherwise hindered at sundown. Mary, together with the other housewives of Nazareth used salt to preserve dried fish, sheep and goat meat, and olives. Naturally, they put salt in many of their dishes and in the dough, they were kneading. As they prepared the bread, the young girls from the village were se

by Fr. Dino Vanin February 9, 2023