In every encounter, local and afar, with people of every age and at every stage of life, the struggles and joys of people are remarkably similar.

Both readings are personal favourites and every time I hear them and ponder them these texts speak to me in new and powerful ways.

“Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

“God never permits anything to happen unless it is for our maturity”. (Luigi Giussani)
The gospel reading assigned to today’s feast of the birth of John the Baptist concludes with an often overlooked fact.: through his toddler and teenage years John the Baptist grew and his spirit matured.

Most of my recent weekends have been spent with groups of people on weekend retreats and the most recent of these was last weekend at the Trappistine Abbey of Our Lady of Mount Matutum near General Santos in the southern part of the Philippines. 

“Here is the man: a desire for life, for love, for happiness”.

The title says it all and nothing is more adequate than “all” for any person including the thousands who overflowed the magnificent Cathedral of Milan for Wednesday’s funeral of Sergio Berlusconi, a man who dominated the Italian political scene for three decades.

A good number of Food For Faith readers have discovered one of the more recent FFF initiatives, the weekly Homily Studio.
The recording of this half-hour podcast is one of the highlights of my week.