July 2nd 2023. Thirteenth Sunday of the Year

GOSPEL: Matthew 10, 37-42

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

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

GOSPEL: Matthew 10, 37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,

and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

and whoever does not take up his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

"Whoever receives you receives me,

and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet

will receive a prophet’s reward,

and whoever receives a righteous man

because he is a righteous man

will receive a righteous man’s reward.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water

to one of these little ones to drink

because the little one is a disciple—

amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

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

1. It is not possible to follow Christ and to continue following the urges of our infantile scheme of survival, trying to keep Mum and Dad happy. How many saints have had to go against the absolutes of family life to live the greatness of their vocation.

The Gospel for this thirteenth Sunday of ordinary time is radical, serious, and very adult in nature. It calls us to go beyond a mediocre Christianity that is like an insurance policy that comes to our aid in times of trauma. The theme is prepared by the story in the first reading of a woman who becomes fertile as a result of welcoming a prophet as a prophet. Here we see the lifegiving character of the word of God when it is welcomed openly. In the Gospel, we might be surprised to hear the radical demands of the Lord, but let us never forget that the life of faith is a calling to an extraordinary life. It is not a calling to a comfortable existence, nor to a life of survival and self-protection. The statements of Jesus are disconcerting: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” To lose one’s life – what is being referred to here? During the 1990s, the era of the “New Age”, Christianity was transformed into a system aimed at wellbeing. The true Gospel, however, is always destabilising and calls us to a life that is not simply the life given to us by our parents. Our parents gave us natural life. Jesus, true God and true man, whose divine person took on human flesh, transforms human life into life as children of God. It is an extraordinary life. The Our Father says, “on earth as it is in heaven”. We are called to live this extraordinary heavenly life, the life of the prophet, to be bearers of a word that bears in itself the very power of God. It is not possible to follow Christ and to continue following the urges of our infantile scheme of survival, trying to keep Mum and Dad happy. How many saints have had to go against the absolutes of family life to live the greatness of their vocation. Just think of Francis of Assisi handing his clothes back to his father and breaking his dependence on him.

2. This is the fecundity that we are called to, to be born into a new life. To pass from the life given to us by our parents to a life that is born from above, as Jesus tells Nicodemus, to live under a different fatherhood.

The first reading speaks of fecundity. This is the fecundity that we are called to, to be born into a new life. To pass from the life given to us by our parents to a life that is born from above, as Jesus tells Nicodemus, to live under a different fatherhood. When Jesus says not to call anyone on earth our father, he is not saying that we neglect our parents. Charity demands respect, care and love for our parents, but we shouldn’t think that the life they gave us is the only true life. There is a greater and more noble life, the life of the Spirit. Again, as Jesus tells Nicodemus, what is born of the flesh is flesh, what is born of the spirit is spirit, and often these two types of life are in opposition. There are many “absolutes” that come from our infancy: habits formed in times of discontent, by virtue of the various roles we had to assume, the compensations that we yearned for, the deficiencies that we experienced, etc.. If we keep obeying the dictates of this infantile structure, we will never arrive at the capacity for love according to God. God’s love resets all of these elements and begins from zero, taking as its starting point the things that the Lord has done for us, from his grace, from his power. We see in the catacombs of Rome that the early Christians measured the days of their life as beginning from the moment of their baptism. They took new names, just as Christ gave new names to some of his disciples to show that they were becoming different people, entering into a new life, a different life, a greater life.

3. Trying to get Christianity to fit within our natural lives is to reduce Christianity to a parody of itself, to something mediocre. Because we have diminished Christianity to something horizontal, to something that suits our material interests, we end up reducing it to a moral message and nothing more.

Trying to get Christianity to fit within our natural lives is to reduce Christianity to a parody of itself, to something mediocre. Because we have diminished Christianity to something horizontal, to something that suits our material interests, we end up reducing it to a moral message and nothing more. But Christianity is not a moral system, it is grace, it is the power of God that is born from on high. It begins from the pardon of sins and mercy, and it becomes the work of mercy, the mercy of God which hopes for everything, believes in everything and excuses everything, which does not measure the evil that is has suffered. This love originates in our heavenly Father. This is the life that we must embrace. This is the life that goes beyond the life given to us by our parents. When Jesus says, “He who loves his parents more than me is not worthy of me”, this notion of worthiness is not something ethical. Rather it has to do with being fit for a purpose. A person who is limited by this earthly adherence to infantile things is simply incapable of loving God. Many with important roles in the Church are attached to these unresolved connections to childhood, to tendencies towards rivalry, mediocre aspirations and needs. They love according to earthly things rather than according to heaven.

“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 21 2026. Twelfth Sunday of the Year

GOSPEL: Matthew 10, 26-33

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

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

 

GOSPEL: Matthew 10, 26-33

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.

‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.

‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.

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

 

1. Fear is the key. If we fear people, then the word of God does not come to fruition in us. Between the moment of being fertilised by the word of God in our hearts, and the visible manifestation of the word in our lives, the process is often interrupted by our fear of the opinions of others.

The first reading recounts the dramatic events of the life of Jeremiah. He is called to say things that are unpleasant and unpopular. The truth is often unpopular! He who lives for popularity is often a hypocrite. As Christians, we too run the risk of paying too much attention to our audience and not enough on the truth. In order to avoid this tendency of living for vainglory, we must be led out of the slavery of fear. In fact, Jesus’s opening words in Sunday’s Gospel are: “Do not fear men.” This is the key! If we have fear of people, then we end up living as hypocrites, living a double life, one life that is public and another life that is hidden. It is normal that Christianity has a hidden inner part. The word of God is spoken to our hearts, in an internal room, then gradually it becomes visible. If it does not become visible, then it is not real. If it does not become concrete, then it was not fertile. There is a journey to be undertaken between the moment that the heart was touched by a beautiful word (that caused it to want to follow Christ) and the moment in which the word bears visible fruit. The journey can be interrupted by fear, fear of incurring the wrath of others. The fear of disappointing those around us is one of the most common elements that brings out human ugliness. Herod goes ahead and kills John the Baptist out of the fear of losing face in front of guests at a banquet, even though he had already intuited the importance of John. When we try to satisfy our companions of life, we become shadows of ourselves. In order to get a laugh from them, or a good reaction, we become scarecrows who live a life inferior to that to which we have been called.

 

2. There are many people who are obsessed with the care of their bodies but who radically neglect the soul. They go to great lengths to enjoy the pleasures of the body but do not know the pleasures of the soul. The pleasures of the soul are more intense, more profound and more long-lasting.

What must we do? We must stop fearing those who can kill the body. This Gospel presents us with a dichotomy: which is more important, to kill the body or to kill the soul? What use is my body if I lose my soul? Jesus will say elsewhere that I gain nothing if I win the whole world and lose my soul. A body without soul is an inconsistent and superficial life. This Gospel calls on us to conserve and nurture integrally the life of the soul, the heart, that which is central. There are many people who are obsessed with the care of their bodies but who radically neglect the soul. They go to great lengths to enjoy the pleasures of the body but do not know the pleasures of the soul. The pleasures of the soul are more intense, more profound and more long-lasting.

 

3. The present generation has a very intense anxiety for recognition. What we need to do is to reverse this situation: in order to realize that we are cherished and recognized, held valuable, we must recognize God as our Father.

How do we live this harmony between the body and the soul? We must recognize who we are in the eyes of God. We must recognize who the Father is and who we are for him. The present generation has a very intense anxiety for recognition. What we need to do is to reverse this situation: in order to realize that we are cherished and recognized, held valuable, we must recognize God as our Father. This leads to our freedom, because we know that we are held dear by our heavenly Father. Recall St Francis of Assisi: in front of his own father, he recognized the Fatherhood of God, and in so doing he became an enormous gift of grace for the entire Church and all of humanity. In recognizing our only true Father, we can all become gifts for humanity. But to do this, we must disobey our fear for the body. Let us enter into a covenant with the Lord on this point, that we will place our priority on the care of our souls, and then, secondarily, manage the body. The point of departure must be our soul, not our body, this is wisdom for a life that is beautiful and true.

“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 14th 2026. Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL: John 6:51-58

______________________________________________________________

 

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

 

GOSPEL: Matthew 9,36 – 10,8

When Jesus saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest’.

He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:

‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.

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

 

1. Authentic faith includes the acknowledgement of our fragility, our insufficiency. The delirium of autonomy always leads to shame, to the revelation that we are inadequate and in need of God.

On this eleventh Sunday of ordinary time, the first reading from Deuteronomy recounts the words of the Lord to Moses from Sinai. The people of Israel, he says, are to become a kingdom of priests, of intercessors, a people who prays for the world to God and makes God present to the world. What does it mean to be the Lord’s people, to be his property? This is the question raised by our baptism, which is an echo renewed in Christ of the covenant made by God with Israel. In Sunday’s Gospel, we read of the compassionate gaze of Jesus upon the people who are like sheep without a shepherd. It is important to note that in those times, a flock without a shepherd could not survive. The sheep needs to live in a flock and to be shown the places to obtain water and food. We too have need of God in a similar way, but this is opposed by an anthropology that has come to dominate human affairs since the 1800s. At this time there arose the delirium of a way of looking upon humanity as being autonomous, of being able to survive by himself, of not needing God. This, ironically, has led in turn led to a widely diffused feeling of insecurity, a sense that we are fragile, an instinct that we are insufficient after all. To counter this, we harbour the delusion of the victorious human being who is able to overcome all adversaries. In sport we see this with the victor being glorified and everyone else counting for nothing. Consequently, we have lost the understanding of who we are and what the faith is. Authentic faith includes the honest realisation of our own fragility. In the third chapter of Genesis, humanity asserts its autonomy in opposition to God the Father and then it discovers itself to be naked, fragile and ashamed of itself. This is always the consequence of those who proclaim themselves autonomous – they find themselves naked and incapable of maintaining this pretext of independence.

 

2. We carry in ourselves the memory of our dignity, of our being chosen by God, of our true greatness, but we decides instead to become “great” following the path of the serpent, until we arrives at the point of shame, a disordered relationship with our own body, and with other people

When we look at the Twelve that Christ called, we see what a fragile bunch they were. Peter is a flawed man who makes many mistakes. James and John, sons of Zebedee, are embarrassed before the others when their mother seeks for them the most advanced careers in the Kingdom. Thomas has his doubts and Judas Iscariot even ends up betraying his master. In summary, the “casting” of Jesus wasn’t done so well. He did not choose the best but rather men who had many limits. Yet these are the ones who are sent to console, heal and liberate from impure spirits. The impure spirit was a mixture of the good and the bad, taking a little of that which comes from God and combining it with evil. This is the story of humanity who carries in himself the memory of his dignity, of his being chosen by God, of his true greatness, but who decides instead to become “great” following the path of the serpent, until he arrives at the point of his shame, a disordered relationship with his own body, and with other people, living always in a state of rivalry with others, seeking constantly to exalt himself in an effort to recreate the memory of his true beauty and true goodness.

 

3. What we are called to is love, not to perfection according to the idolatrous models of this world.

Jesus is seeking workers for his harvest. He is not seeking “victors” but people who have the same compassion that he has. If we consider the gaze of Jesus upon the crowds, his way of looking at them, it is sobering to think of the obsession in our times with the external aspect of ourselves as if it were everything. Jesus looks deeper than our appearance, deeper than our make-up, deeper than our existential deodorants, deeper than our disguises in which we try to present ourselves as perfect people, even in church. We try to present ourselves as people without weaknesses, but then the weaknesses pursue us and reveal themselves when we least expect it. We must accept that we are vulnerable and weak. What we are called to is love, not to perfection according to the idolatrous models of this world. The human being reaches perfection when he has love and mercy in his heart, not when he is capable of defeating every enemy. We must rid our hearts of these delusions so that we can embrace the love that God shows us. Our lives are a training in love, not a training for victory. This Sunday, may we all accept that we are sheep in need of a shepherd, that we desperately need to be cared for by him, and let us leave behind us the delirium of autonomy of the 1900s. Just as the people of Israel were unable by themselves to confront any of their challenges, so too may we enter into the covenant with the Lord, acknowledging our absolute need of him, refraining from believing ourselves to be something that we are not. All of our strength resides in our covenant with God, not in anything of ourselves that makes us feel independent, but in the gift of our heavenly Father! Let us live as children of the Father, as allies with him in the covenant, as sheep who are cared for by a Good Shepherd, who are fed, washed and healed by One who loves them.

“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 2026. Feast of Corpus Christi

GOSPEL: John 6:51-58

______________________________________________________________

 

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

 

Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

 

GOSPEL: John 6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;

whoever eats this bread will live forever;

and the bread that I will give

is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarrelled among themselves, saying,

"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,

unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,

you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven.

Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,

whoever eats this bread will live forever."

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

 

1. The sacraments are a practical way of entering into the divine life, which is not an abstract or philosophical thing. In the Eucharist we discover the surprising truth that God is a generous Father who gives himself completely for us.

The Feast of Corpus Christi, coming as it does after Trinity Sunday and the celebration of Easter, is a way of making concrete the mysteries that we have celebrated. We need to put into practice the divine life that we have received and thus we have the sacramental life. We cannot live the faith in an abstract or philosophical way. Rather, we practice it by means of the sacraments. The bread of the Eucharist is prepared in the Old Testament by the manna described in Chapter 8 of Deuteronomy. It is presented as an unexpected grace, something surprising. In the Gospel, there is also something unexpected about the gift of Christ’s body. The listeners ask how he can give them his flesh to eat. God redeems us in a way that is unexpected according to our way of understanding salvation. It was a scandal to think that the Messiah would be one who gives of himself to nourish others. We tend to think of God as someone who wants something from us, not as someone who gives, but such a vision is of a deity who is not autonomous, who needs our sacrifices.

​

2. The life of faith begins from the gift of God, not from what we need to do, nor from our faults.

The truth, rather, is that our God is one who saves, who gives himself, who has much to offer us. This revelation of God as a generous Father, who gives, is difficult for us to comprehend. God is on our side. He feeds us even with his body. This causes us to live with gratitude and joy and we are called to recognize this mode of being of God in this Sunday’s feast. The life of faith finds in this gift of God our point of departure! Our point of departure is not what we need to do, or the faults we have committed. Sometimes our starting point involves doubts about ourselves, but the correct starting point is to realize our great dignity. How important we are for God! The Son of God gives himself over to us completely. What is more important, the person who eats, or that which is eaten? Certainly, he who eats. Jesus has chosen to place himself in this type of relationship with us.

 

3. We life in a culture anxious for self-satisfaction, self-gratification. Our faith calls us to live by Christ, to comprehend that he satisfies our every need, that we do not need to defend ourselves. The Eucharist reveals our immense dignity, who we are for God.

In our time, the anxiety and drive for self-gratification is all-prevalent. In a disordered way we seek satisfaction and compensations. Our faith, by contrast, calls us to live by this food, to live for Christ, to live according to this light, to be inebriated by this love. It is easy to see when someone lives by Christ because he is a person of serenity, someone who is not always seeking to defend his right to exist, who is not fixated with the infantile and disordered means of self-promotion that enslave so many. To live by Christ! He truly satisfies our hunger, he truly is real food. In the Sequence for Sunday, Christ is described as the bread of angels, the food of pilgrims, the banquet of the king. Every Sunday we are called to realize our dignity when we consume the Eucharist. It bestows light on who we are. We are one single thing with Christ, united with him. Just as a bride and groom become a single flesh and generate new life, so too the life in us is generated by Christ who loved us so much as to give himself for us. Just as Adam said to Eve, “Behold, flesh of my flesh”, so too Christ says to his Church (to each one of us), “You are my flesh to whom I give my life, dying on the cross and rising again so that I can love you and be your Lord.” Let us allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the Eucharist so that it might inspire and illuminate our lives, helping us to comprehend our true dignity.

“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.