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Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 31st, 2022

If this parable (Luke 12:13-21) does not give us pause, I cannot think of anything else that will. And this is clearly a matter of life and death; eternal life or eternal death, that is! What shall we do to avoid being called “fool” by the Lord and be wise enough to stop storing up earthly treasures for ourselves to become rich in what matters to God? The letter to the Hebrews offers us the surest way: Let us persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2 And, if we ar

by Fr. Dino Vanin July 31, 2022August 4, 2022

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Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 24th, 2022

There are circumstances in which, in our prayer of petition, we can be as confident and as daring as Abraham was, (bordering on impudence) as he haggled with God on behalf of people dear to him. (cf. Genesis 18:20-32) But in the 2nd reading (Colossians 2:12-14) St. Paul reminds us of the privileged status we enjoy through the cross of Christ Jesus. We are God’s family! Our old ways, sins, maladies, fears, worries, all those things that embarrass us, and which formed an ugly screen that kept us away from full and free access to “Daddy,” have been nailed to the cros

by Fr. Dino Vanin July 28, 2022July 28, 2022

Homilies

Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 17th, 2022

Whenever life gets to be too heavy, the world proposes its ways to lighten it up and unwind: drugs, alcohol, speed, travels, a change of pace, trying something totally new or extreme or wild and so on. We, of course, have our own ways, tested over time, and in different settings. By now, we know what works for us somewhat and what doesn’t work. However, today we are invited to consider how we can refresh our soul by introducing God into the equation. By looking at what happened in the life of Abraham we might realize that God desires to visit us whenever our da

by Fr. Dino Vanin July 22, 2022

Homilies

Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 10th, 2022

Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on all facets of human interaction: emotional, psychological, moral, economical, and spiritual; all these affected facets have contributed to a slow, general dehumanization of society. To a different degree we have all been impacted by the forced isolation, the restrictions, the contradicting guidelines, and by the way so many aspects of our life have been controlled by others. In this painful context, awareness that especially children, teenagers, and young adults need more sincere, selfless love, accompanied by warm human to

by Fr. Dino Vanin July 14, 2022

Homilies

Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 3rd, 2022

We are given a lot of orders at this Holy Mass: we are ordered to rejoice with Jerusalem (a figure of the Church); to be glad because of her; to pray the Master of the harvest to send laborers for his harvest; to be on our way; to carry nothing extra like money bag, sack, sandals; we are to remain focused on our task; we are also ordered to say to each visited household: “Peace to this household”; we are told to stay in that household; not to move around unless necessary and so on. Why? Why is the Lord giving us so many and so precise, detailed orders? And why all

by Fr. Dino Vanin July 7, 2022

Homilies

Homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinal Time, June 26th, 2022

“For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1) St. Paul writes to us of a type of freedom loftier than the one guaranteed us by the Constitution. It is the freedom for which Christ died and rose from the dead to give us so that we, believers, may not use this to freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. (Gal. 5: 13) Alas, individualism, the haughty child of relativism, has been pushing the irrational impossibility that everyone is entitled to do as he/she pleases, as it is convenient to hi

by Fr. Dino Vanin June 30, 2022

Homilies

Homily for The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 19th, 2022

Last Sunday, St. Paul pointed out (cf. Romans 5: 1-5) that within the Body of Christ we are living in a “truer reality” beyond the reality perceived by our senses. Conventionally, what passes as reality can keep us away from living truly as embodied spirits made for a share in the eternal glory proper of the Holy Trinity. Today, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, we explore deeply the “truer reality” of a God who is totally “engaged” in our lives. This exploration begins by contemplating the mysterious figure of Melchizedek. Melchizedek, king of [Jeru]Salem, app

by Fr. Dino Vanin June 24, 2022June 24, 2022

Homilies

Homily for The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, June 12th, 2022

The solemnity of the Holy Trinity tackles the principal and hardest mystery of our faith by showing us that God is a Community of love and life. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in this timeless, everlasting relationship of eternal sharing of love as well as the Source of all life. As mind-blowing as this reality already sounds, through Baptism and full Communion in the Second Person, the Son Jesus, from all eternity, the Holy Trinity has decreed to include all of us in this endless Life-giving and sharing of Love. Today, we are also invited to reflect on

by Fr. Dino Vanin June 16, 2022

Homilies

Homily for Pentecost, June 5th, 2022

If we, westerners, had been in the Upper Room on the morning of Pentecost Day we would have had a hard time trying to sort things out and decipher God’s message. Not so for the disciples gathered in it with the Blessed Mother. They were all Jews; they must have quickly realized that they were experiencing a powerful theophany with fire and thunderous, driving wind, like the fire of the burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:2) when God revealed to Moses his intention to do something about the sufferings of his people in Egypt and similar to what the Israelites experienced

by Fr. Dino Vanin June 9, 2022

Homilies

Homily for the Solemnity of The Ascension, May 26th, 2022

The Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord into heaven forces us to reflect on a reality with which we are totally unfamiliar. We had a beginning, (having been born at a recorded time and in a very specific place); we are living in time and space, but with a solemn pledge of immortality made to us through the divine rebirth of Baptism. This pledge of immortality is reaffirmed every time we feed on Jesus as the Bread of life in Holy Communion. As soon as we pause to reflect on this divine call which opens for us a boundless future of bliss and glory with n

by Fr. Dino Vanin May 30, 2022June 6, 2022