"I also admonish and exhort the brothers that in their preaching their words be studied and chaste, useful and edifying to the people, telling them about vices and virtues, punishment and glory; and they ought to be brief, because the Lord kept his words brief when he was on earth." - Saint Francis of Assisi - Chapter IX, Approved Rule
Dear friends in Christ, the Lord give you peace. As we gather on this Holy Tuesday, we continue our journey through Holy Week, reflecting on the profound events of our Lord’s last week before His resurrection. Yesterday, we witnessed the cleansing of the temple, where Jesus confronted the corruption that had seeped into the heart of worship. Today, we revisit a particular scene involving a fig tree, a moment that captures the essence of authenticity in faith.
Cari amici in Cristo, il Signore vi dia pace. In questo Martedì Santo, continuiamo il nostro viaggio attraverso la Settimana Santa, riflettendo sui profondi eventi dell'ultima settimana del Signore prima della sua risurrezione. Ieri abbiamo assistito alla purificazione del tempio, dove Gesù ha affrontato la corruzione che si era insinuata nel cuore del culto. Oggi rivisitiamo una scena particolare che riguarda un albero di fico, un momento che cattura l'essenza dell'autenticità della fede.
May the Lord’s peace and blessings be upon you all my dear brothers and sisters. Today on Holy Monday, we reflect on two pivotal moments in the narrative of Jesus’ journey towards the cross: the cleansing of the temple (which in fact chronologically occurred on Monday of Holy Week) and the second anointing of Jesus by Mary Magdalene (which happens, according to Scripture, on Wednesday of Holy Week) which we find in today’s readings. Both events—though seemingly distinct—reveal profound truths about Jesus and our calling as his followers and so we shall joyfully reflect on how they come together to offer us a message of hope and renewal.
La pace e la benedizione del Signore siano su tutti voi, cari fratelli e sorelle. Oggi, nel giorno del Lunedì Santo, riflettiamo su due momenti cruciali nella narrazione del cammino di Gesù verso la croce: la purificazione del tempio (che in realtà è avvenuta cronologicamente il lunedì della Settimana Santa) e la seconda unzione di Gesù da parte di Maria Maddalena (che avviene, secondo le Scritture, il mercoledì della Settimana Santa), che troviamo nelle letture di oggi. Entrambi gli eventi, anche se apparentemente distinti, rivelano profonde verità su Gesù e sulla nostra vocazione di seguaci, per cui rifletteremo con gioia sul modo in cui si uniscono per offrirci un messaggio di speranza e di rinnovamento.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you. I would like to welcome you to our Holy Week reflections as we begin with Palm Sunday – this beautiful week in the life of our Lord and in salvation history, where our redemption is wrought and salvation is offered to us. And what we are going to notice throughout this week, leading up to Holy Thursday, is that from Palm Sunday right through Holy Wednesday, on each of those days—Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday—Jesus will be coming in and out of Jerusalem with his apostles.
Fratelli e sorelle carissimi in Cristo, iniziamo la Settimana Santa con questa Domenica delle Palme, entrando nel mistero della nostra redenzione. Durante questi giorni, da oggi fino al Mercoledì Santo, Gesù entrerà e uscirà da Gerusalemme con i suoi discepoli, partendo da Betania (cf. Gv 11,1–2), dove aveva risuscitato Lazzaro (Gv 11,43–44). Questo miracolo suscita paura e ostilità nei capi, che cominciano a tramare per farlo morire (Gv 11,53).
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you as we stand on the threshold of Holy Week. The readings that we have for this Saturday, the fifth week of Lent, the day just before Palm Sunday, are no longer simply preparatory. They are pressurized, because now everything is converging, and the tension is no longer hidden, but rather is explicit, organized, and irreversible.
Fratelli e sorelle carissimi in Cristo, ci troviamo sulla soglia della Settimana Santa, e le letture di oggi non sono più soltanto preparatorie: tutto converge, la tensione cresce ed è ormai manifesta. Nel Vangelo vediamo come, dopo la risurrezione di Lazzaro (Gv 11,1–44), l’autorità e la potenza di Gesù suscitano paura nel cuore dei capi, riuniti nel Sinedrio (Gv 11,47–48). Essi percepiscono che qualcosa di decisivo sta accadendo.
Today we mark the fifth Friday of Lent. For this liturgical calendar in Year A of our readings, we hear from the prophet Jeremiah, who laments his persecutors and their stubbornness of heart to believe the Word of God that was sent through him. And in the Gospel, our Lord himself, who is a type of fulfillment of the prophet who came before him, and yet so much more as God, the Word of God, who stood in our midst and yet was rejected.
Le letture di oggi ci introducono profondamente nel mistero della Passione. Il profeta Geremia esprime il dolore del giusto perseguitato, circondato da nemici e tradito anche da coloro che gli erano vicini, ma allo stesso tempo manifesta una fiducia incrollabile in Dio, che lo sostiene come un potente difensore.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you as we continue our last week in Lent before Holy Week. We come across the figure of Abraham in a very splendid way today, where we're asked once again to reflect on what it means to be a son of Abraham, or that God would say to Abraham that he would make him a father of a host of nations, a multitude of nations.
In questa ultima settimana di Quaresima prima della Settimana Santa, la figura di Abramo emerge con grande forza. Dio cambia il suo nome e lo costituisce padre di una moltitudine di nazioni, non per i suoi meriti umani, ma per la sua fede e la sua fiducia totale nel Signore.
Reflect and pray on the Word of God, and allow it to penetrate your heart as it did the Poverello from Assisi, Saint Francis. God's Word is sent to set us free, to experience life in abundance as His sons and daughters. Each week, homilies will be posted ahead of time as regards the daily mass readings! We are currently in Year B of the Liturgical Cycle.
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FranciscanPreacher.com exists to draw you deeper into the living Word of God, inspired by the spirit and example of Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the Order of Friars Minor. Each reflection and homily seeks to open the treasures of the daily Mass readings and to serve as a humble companion for all those who have been blessed with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
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