June 29th 2025. SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

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

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GOSPEL:                                                       Matthew 16:13-19
You are Peter, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’.

‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God’.

Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

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

 

SUMMARY

Don Fabio tells us that the theme of liberation is very important in this week’s readings. In the first reading, Peter is freed from his chains by an angel. This is an echo of an interior liberation that is much more significant. We are inclined to think that Christianity is a moral or ethical system. To be a good Christian, or so we think, all we need to do is behave well and go to confession whenever we fall. But Christianity is so much more than this! Jesus wants to liberate us from the interior chains that bind us! All of us are oppressed by darkness and interior states of imprisonment. So were Peter and Paul. Peter was proud and believed that he could follow Jesus by his own strength. Saul considered himself to be righteous, but he was actually a persecutor of the righteous. Jesus freed both of them from their interior delusions and gave them the capacity to be pillars of the Church. Jesus, the Son of the living God, wishes to free you and me from our inner states of imprisonment as well! Once he has freed us, then we will be capable of significant moral acts. Free us, Lord Jesus, so that we will be capable of following you authentically like Peter and Paul!

 

Jesus tells Peter that the Church will be a liberating force in the world. The theme of being set free is very important this Sunday.

In the Gospel reading, Peter demonstrates that he knows who the Lord is. In Hebrew the verb “to know” signifies a very deep and intimate knowledge of the other person. In response, Jesus gives Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven and says that the gates of the underworld will not hold out against the church built upon Peter. Some translations of this passage makes it sound as if the powers of the underworld will attack the church but will be unsuccessful. The original version, however, states that the Church will confront the powers of the underworld and will prevail over them. The Church will drag humanity away from these powers of darkness, away from the slavery associated with them. The Church will be a force of liberation that will rescue people from the dark prisons in which they are enclosed. That is why the notion of keys is so important. The Church will shatter the locks on these doors behind which we are barricaded, and open up the doors to a very different kind of kingdom.

 

Christianity is not a moral or ethical system. It is something that liberates a person from slavery and darkness

The first reading sheds light on this theme of opening and closing doors. The passage from Acts recounts how Herod imprisons Peter and wishes to publicly torture him. An angel appears and frees Peter from his chains. The beginning of the reading mentions something significant that we should not overlook: we are told that Peter was imprisoned during Passover week. Passover is the celebration of the liberation from the imprisonment in Egypt. It commemorates the moment when the way to freedom is opened, when darkness passes and the light finally appears. The story of Peter replicates the same drama. The chains of the underworld are broken and the way to the kingdom of heaven is opened. The dynamism of these texts are highly significant. We are constantly tempted to reduce Christianity to a moral or ethical system. We think that the principal thing is to behave in an upright way and remain in the grace of God. If we fall, then we can go to confession and be restored to a state of grace. No! Christianity should not be diminished to these static and moralistic terms! Our moral behavior is merely the consequence of something deeper. When a human being has been liberated in the deepest sense of the word, when he has been drawn out of his interior state of darkness, fear and oppression, then he is in a position to complete great moral acts! We are inclined to think that if a person makes a mistake, then all we need to do to sort him out is tell him where he went wrong. But this approach only works for small errors. For the deep problems that touch our very essence, moral correction is of little use. It does not give the person the strength he needs to emerge from his state of darkness.

 

The Lord freed Peter and Paul in the deepest sense of the word, and he wants to liberate you and me also!

Peter and Paul both understood what was needed for real liberation. Both of these men were freed from their personal deceptions by the power of the Lord. Peter believed that he had the ability to follow the Lord by his own strength and force of will. He tried and failed. Saul believed that he was a righteous man, but then he discovered that he was not righteous but a persecutor of the righteous. Both men were freed from the deceit that lay in their very hearts. One was made head of the Church and the other the great Apostle to the Gentiles. Both were given the capacity to change radically the lives of others and the entire religious spirituality of the Mediterranean basin in a short span of time. They achieved this because God gave them a key that is also indispensable for each one of us. Our God is a God of liberation! He can break the chains that hold all of us! Some of the chains that hold us are small, but some are chains of real slavery. We have vices and situations of oppression in our lives that can be opened by the Lord. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and you can break my chains! When Peter experienced being released from the chains of Herod, he was experiencing the echo of an interior liberation that derives from the resurrection of Christ. As Christians, none of us is faced with a cul-de-sac. There is always a way to freedom available to us. No matter how oppressive the chains that bind us, the experience of Easter is always at hand. Let us turn to the one who freed Saul from his delusions, the one who liberated Peter from his pride, making these men great and humble saints

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

June 22 2025.  Feast of Corpus Christi

GOSPEL   Luke 9:11B-17
Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

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

GOSPEL   Luke 9:11B-17
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
 

SUMMARY

The feast of Corpus Christi is an opportunity to discover that the love of God for us is not something abstract, but something tangible. Jesus asks the disciples what to do regarding the hunger of the people, and they give the blandest of replies – “Send them away!” Jesus asks us to assist him in helping to satisfy the hunger of others, but the funny thing is that we then discover that we too are filled when we move to help others. It is when we take the little we have and give  it over to God, that a great abundance results, for us and for others. Jesus then looks to heaven and blesses the bread. We too must look to our relationship with the Father as the source of everything we do. If we try to rely on ourselves, then the results will be mediocre. But if we turn to the Lord in our times of trouble, then a moment of oppression becomes an oasis in which we meet the Lord and he can transform our desert into abundant fruit for ourselves and others.

1. God’s relationship with us is not something abstract but rather very tangible

The feast of the Lord's Body and Blood celebrates our relationship with God, which is not made up of abstractions, but of concrete realities, such as the food that nourishes us. This Sunday's Gospel reading starts with Christ’s announcement of the Kingdom of God and his healing of the crowd. What follows afterwards will serve to manifest tangibly what He has preached and done.

2. It is in satisfying the needs of others that our own hunger is satisfied.

We are at the end of the day, the evening is approaching and a need is looming: these people, who have listened all day, will have to eat something . . . In every relationship, sooner or later, comes the time when the needs of the other person emerge. What ought I do at this point? We have a tendency to shy away from this kind of situation. In fact, the attitude of the disciples is exactly that: "Let the crowd go to the villages of the surrounding area to find food and a place to stay".  Jesus' strategy is totally different. He, moreover, does not solve the problem alone, but involves his reluctant disciples in the effective solution. He needs their input of loaves to solve this crisis. What a curious thing! We are hungry ourselves but instead He calls us to satisfy the hunger of others. And it is precisely in satisfying the needs of others that our own hunger is truly satiated. We think: "If I had enough, I would give to others as well, but not having enough, I certainly cannot deal with their problems . . ." – it seems obvious, but things with God do not work like this! With Jesus it is not a matter of having enough, but it is rather a matter, little or much, to give him whatever I do or have. He will be able to multiply that "little", but he needs to start from being able to dispose of it.

3. When we are confronted by problems, the key is not to rely on our own solutions but to rely steadfastly on God

Man, under pressure from various issues, uses his intelligence and his skills to devise solutions. However, experience shows that sometimes solutions are worse than the problems. If, in fact, anxiety is the driving force of our lives, we will end up in self-destruction or mediocrity. The solution proposed by the disciples, in fact, is characterised by mediocrity. The crucial step – here as in any other situation – is not to have great resources at your finger tips to solve problems; no, what matters is that we make the leap beyond ourselves and enter into a relationship with God. How often it happens that the last thing we think about is that it is all a matter of handing over to God what little we have!

4. Times of stress become an opportunity for growth if we find God in them and turn to him. Our problems then become oases where we find the Lord

For us Christians, every problem is played out on the level of the relationship with the Father. There we discover continually that times of stress or oppression are an opportunity for growth. They are a place where we have the possibility of entering into a relationship with His providence. The hunger of the crowd is a chance for the disciples to experience the Kingdom of God, which Jesus spoke of all day. The power of God does not eliminate our fragility, but it makes our precariousness the place where we find peace in him. Jesus himself raises his eyes to heaven before blessing the bread and distributing it to the disciples. He too, in order to solve the problem of hunger in the masses, takes this step of passage through Heaven; he relies on his relationship with the Father; then comes abundance.

 

5. Our problems are an opportunity to hand things over to God. He brings abundance when we give him the little that we own.

This Gospel is a manual which tells us how to behave when we are confronted with that which overwhelms us. What should we do? Take what little we have and give it to the Lord! He knows how to multiply it! Many saints have had this experience. By handing what they possess over to the Lord, they have been able to give consolation in a manner that would never have been possible with their own limited resources. This is the story of the Christian life. The Lord takes our few loaves, blesses them, breaks and gives them. A curious thing is that it is when Christ breaks the bread that it is multiplied. He is a creator who brings abundance out of nothing. The problems and limitations that we experience are an opportunity to entrust ourselves to the power of God.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

June 8th 2025. TRINITY SUNDAY

GOSPEL: John 16:12-15

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

​

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

  

GOSPEL: John 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

We are inclined to think that the truth is a body of knowledge or information. Maybe we think that truth is something that can be diffused through the world with a sufficiently good internet service. However Jesus teaches us that truth is not information, but the relationship of love that is the life of God. This love is the source of all that exists. Jesus tells us that we cannot comprehend this truth using our own capacities. We must be led gradually into the truth by the Holy Spirit. How does he lead us into the truth? Is it like doing a university course? No! How do I learn who my child is? By studying or reading books? I learn who my child is by living with him in a relationship of love. Similarly it is one thing to “know” who Christ is by studying theology, but an entirely different matter to know Jesus from the point of view of a person who has been saved by him. It is significant that the Holy Spirit is described as the one “who does not speak about himself”. This is the fundamental characteristic of love, focus on the other instead of upon oneself.  Further on in this Gospel passage, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will “announce the things to come”. Is this a reference to prophecies about the future? No, this rather is the way in which the authentic Christian, possessed by the Holy Spirit, trusts implicitly in the providence of God to look after everything in the future. A person who does not trust in the providence of God might have a very anxious or deceptive view of the future. Christians are called upon to develop an attitude in which we permit the Holy Spirit to announce to us the things that are to come. In other words, when we are led by the Spirit, we trust implicitly in the designs of a loving God. We know what our future is: intimate union with God.

 

1. Jesus tells us that we enter into the truth in a gradual way

“I still have many things to tell you, but for the moment you are not able to carry the weight of it ". There is a gradualness in the spiritual life. It is analogous to the biological one in that for both there exists a birth, a childhood and a maturity. We start from a first light on the truth, with a good orientation towards it. Then we begin to live more and more in the truth and go towards fulfillment. It is a gradual process and the ultimate goal is beyond this earthly existence. We are inclined to think that someone either knows the truth or they do not. In reality, we enter into the truth slowly. It takes a lifetime to open up to it. At some point in our lives we discover that she was always there waiting for us before that we finally started to see better and allow ourselves to be changed by it.

 

2. How do we enter into the truth?

"When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will lead you into all truth." The truth is not something that we conquer by our own efforts. Rather, we are led to it. Letting myself be guided to the truth is not easy, because it implies renouncing my own inclinations, calling into question the things that I consider to be certain. The truth is greater than us and we know that we will always remain disciples of the truth, never the owners. But just what is truth? Is it an abstraction? A concept to understand? A doctrine? "The Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth because he will not speak of himself." The Master of truth is humble. He does not focus on himself. He does not deliver the truth as some sort of body of information, but as something that arises from a relationship. For example, I could learn about the nature of childhood by attending an academic course, but it is another thing entirely to be a father or a mother! Similarly, it is one thing to talk about Christ from the point of view of one who has studied theology, but a different thing altogether to talk about Jesus as one who has been saved by him! In the second case we do not speak simply about ourselves, or the abstract contents of our minds, but of the Lord as my personal saviour. In this case, the Holy Spirit is no longer an idea or a rule but a lived experience.

 

3. Our future is in the intimate life of God

The Holy Spirit, from the very heart of God, "will say all that he has heard". He will repeat what he himself has heard, and he will also do other things: "he will announce the things to come". We might think that this refers to prophecies regarding the future, but it is something else: if our heart is open to the interior guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will slowly be brought to the whole truth, which is God himself, that is, to the intimate life of Lord Jesus and his Father. And knowing "all that the Father possesses", we will then know the love, generosity and mercy that is in him. We may not realize it, but we are in a relationship with the future. We are shaped by our way of thinking about what is to come. If I believe that my future is a black sky without stars, I live with an oppressed frame of mind and everything can become distressing. If I believe that my tomorrow is in the hands of a good Father who provides for me, then I already know what is coming towards me: the designs of loving Providence are unfolding before me; I know where my path leads and who is guiding my life. We need to learn the art of allowing the Holy Spirit to announce the future to us, rather than being led by our deceptive or anxious projections. I know my future, I know where my life is heading: towards the Father

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.