Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Canonisation of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati
7 September 202
Introduction: A Pilgrimage of Hope
It is nearly a year since I walked together with 12 other colleagues for eight days covering 224 kilometres on foot, from the National shrine of Mary in Subukia in Kenya to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, Upperhill in Nairobi. We called it the “Shrine2Shrine Pilgrimage”. It was indeed a pilgrimage of hope!
To the enthusiastic faithful of the Salesian Parish in Nairobi who welcomed us at the finish line, we might have appeared like celebrities. But for us, it was never about spectacle. It was an experience of togetherness, contemplation, and compassion.
I still remember the blisters that burned on my toes, the long stretches of hot tarmac, and the aching muscles. Yet every evening, as we gathered for Eucharist, meals, and shared reflection, the discomfort melted into joy. The pilgrimage taught us that discipleship is not a casual stroll; it is a demanding journey that pushes body and soul to their limits, and still asks us to carry one another along the way.
On one occasion, we found a small child of two years standing alone by the roadside. No adult was in sight. One of our companions lifted him onto his shoulders and carried him until we found his people. That little episode became a parable for me: discipleship is precisely this – walking forward even when it hurts, and carrying others when they cannot walk themselves.
This is what Jesus means in today’s Gospel (Luke 14:25–33): discipleship is costly. It is not about being a fan of Christ, but a follower. It is not about staying with the crowd, but about prioritising Him above all else, carrying our cross, and living in freedom. And today, in Rome, the Church canonises two young witnesses who lived these words in flesh and spirit: Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925) and Carlo Acutis (1991–2006).
Prioritising God Above All
Jesus begins with a hard saying: “If anyone comes to me without hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” The language is strong. But what He calls for is not hatred, but priority – a reordering of loves so that God is always first. St Augustine called it “ordo amoris”.
- Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in 1901 into an influential and affluent family in Turin. His father was the director of the newspaper La Stampa and later became an ambassador; his mother was a painter. Pier Giorgio could have lived in comfort and privilege. Yet from his teenage years, he dedicated himself to prayer, service of the poor, and the Eucharist. He joined the Vincent de Paul Society, often giving away his shoes, his coat, even his pocket money to the needy. His friendships, his joy in mountaineering, his activism for justice – all flowed from one love: God first.
- Carlo Acutis, born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, was very much a young man of our time. He loved football, video games, and technology. But unlike many of his peers, he did not allow these loves to displace God. At age 14, he began cataloguing Eucharistic miracles on a website that still inspires devotion worldwide: https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html He famously said, “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” In an age of distraction, Carlo reordered his life around God alone. (see also: https://www.carloacutis.com/)
Their lives echo the first demand of discipleship: to give Christ primacy.
Carrying the Cross with Love
Jesus continues: “Whoever does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” To be His follower is not to seek comfort but to embrace the weight of the cross, which is suffering borne with faith, transformed by love.
- Pier Giorgio’s cross was hidden in his tireless service. In the slums of Turin, among miners and the poor, he contracted tuberculosis. He died at just 24. Even in his final days, he used his remaining energy to send medicine to someone more in need than himself.
- Carlo’s cross came early. At fifteen, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Instead of anger or despair, he accepted his suffering with serenity. He offered it for the Pope and for the Church. He told his mother: “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on things that do not please God.”
Their crosses did not diminish them. They revealed the greatness of their souls.
Renouncing Possessions: Living in Freedom
Finally, Jesus says: “None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.” To renounce possessions is not to despise the world, but to be free from what enslaves us.
- Pier Giorgio could have clung to wealth and privilege, but he chose simplicity. He walked in the mountains with friends, studied engineering so he might serve workers, and gave away whatever he had. His hands were free to love. In fact, on the day of his funeral the poor people of the city of Turin filled the streets to witness to his compassion.
- Carlo, surrounded by the temptations of the digital age, could have pursued online fame or self-indulgence. Instead, at the age of 14-15, he used his computer skills to evangelise, to point to Christ. He was not possessed by technology; he harnessed it to evangelise the world.
Holiness comes when we learn to live with unclenched hands, letting go of what ties us down.
Conclusion: Saints for Our Time
My dear friends, we live in a world that produces countless celebrities but few heroes. Today, the Church gives us two young heroes of holiness—Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Their lives show us that the radical words of Jesus in today’s Gospel are not impossible. They are lived realities. To put God first, to carry the cross, to live free of possessions. This is not beyond us. It is the path to joy, to freedom, to sainthood.
Our pilgrimage of life is not always easy. There are blisters and long stretches of tarmac. But like that child by the roadside, there will also be moments when we are called to carry one another. And in those very moments, discipleship becomes real.
So, will we remain bystanders, cheering from the roadside, or will we walk the costly road of discipleship, like Carlo, like Pier Giorgio, like Christ Himself?
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Sahaya G. Selvam, sdb