Posts by Fr Dino Vanin (Page 2)

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him; and I will raise him on the last day. (John 6:44) Concerning salvation, we must never forget God’s absolute sovereignty. It is complete and foolish arrogance to attempt to circumvent it or to alter it. Our God is in heaven; whatever God wills is done. (Psalm 115:3) Clearly then, the first danger that we who are chosen must avoid is the presumption of trying to limit God’s…

On this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the lesson that Jesus wishes to teach us is a life lesson, in the sense that it forces us to see where, instinctively, we place ourselves in the context of our relationship with God and our interaction with people. Assuming that our relationship with God is correct, at least as far as it appears to us before a deeper, more direct reflection, it is already embarrassing and humbling to have come up with the…

If we reflect on the gospel passage (Mark 8:27-35) for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time without a clear concept of discipleship, we would be shocked and bewildered. Simon Peter is extolled for the tremendous insight from above about the very nature of Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man and then, is chastised and reprimanded with blistering directness by Jesus. “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” While still in shock, we…

“Ephphatha, be opened.” Today, Jesus orders us to be opened to the Father’s plan and to adopt a sincere concern for all his children across the globe, across the millennia. We are to do so in virtue of our Baptism. The rite of Baptism includes the gestures performed by Jesus and the word “ephphatha” “be opened” that he uttered when he cured the deaf person with a speech impediment. This complete openness is required of us for two reasons.  From the…

The gospel passage for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time forces us to come to grips with a somber, sad reality: some of Jesus’ disciples, in any epoch, become selective and refuse to abide by those words of life with which they disagree. It is a repeat of what we see described here as the first case of “cafeteria or smorgasbord Catholics.” Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” (John 6:60) … As a result…

The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time marks the fourth Sunday of a vital lesson on the Eucharist in which we are led to consider the natural human resistance to what the Father intends to do for us in the Eucharist, by offering us the flesh and blood of his Son Jesus. To this end, it would be profitable to open our minds and hearts to what Jesus feeds us, first, at the table of God’s Word by imagining what our world would…

In his encyclical “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” (1975) St. Paul VI writes this: “Man, nowadays, is more willing to listen to witnesses than to teachers.” So true in every age! Without doubt, what I can teach you has less impact on all of us and on our world than how we, as individuals and as a Community, bear witness to Christ and to his Gospel. Or, it can be said that the way the Holy Mass, which we attend changes us from…

The gospels mention many times that countless people were looking for Jesus. If we are here today it means that we, too, are looking for him. Some were looking for Jesus because they needed healing, restoration, wholeness, but also grace, light, comfort, patience, courage. However, others, like the tetrarch Herod, were looking for him out of curiosity (cf. Luke 9:9); the Pharisees with the Herodians looked for him to embarrass him (cf. Matthew 22:16); the religious authorities looked for him…

The gospel passage for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time offers us a way out of a lot of the apprehension and restlessness we experience whenever faced with a daunting situation and we tip toward dejection or even mental paralysis. And I am talking about challenges much, much smaller than having to feed a crowd of about five thousand men, without counting women and children. (cf. John 6:1-15) The huge mistake we keep making is as old as the world itself. It…

Whenever we heed the soft voice of care and empathy whispering in our soul, we might feel so great and so uplifted that we ignore our need to rest and get re-energized. This is what happened to the first Twelve. Boosted by the enviable feeling with which the Lord rewards good deeds, they were eager to share with him their successes and feats. (cf. Mark 6:30) The crucial aspect of our human nature, which needs to be pointed out, is…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 After…

“…they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ezekiel 2:5) This is my unconventional definition of a prophet. A prophet is a person selected and anointed by God to be charged, imbued, possessed and transformed by his divine words to such a degree that it becomes impossible for his audience to continue to live their lives as if he had never confronted them with those words. Without a single exception, God’s words are more than challenging; they all come…