News & Events
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Posted in News
21st. June 2026
Matthew 10:26 -33
Jesus instructed the twelve as follows: Do not be afraid, 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. And fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
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Homily
I remember many years ago, as a little boy hearing a man, who was blind expressing his hatred for the person, who I concluded to be a doctor, who had caused his blindness. That experience left me spiritually shaken, as I had never experienced any such pain and hatred before. I asked myself if the blind man was going to go to hell. I had seen that blind man before but after that experience I was afraid of him. The evil which he desired to inflict on the person who had caused his blindness filled me with horror. As I began preparing the homily for this week, I remembered that moment and I wondered whether the person who the blind man thought was responsible for his blindness knew or understood the hatred that the blind man had for him.
Today the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah calls us to a specific way of reacting to evil that at times we must endure, especially when our conscience tells us that our actions towards others were not motivated by jealousy or some other evil desires. It is very interesting to see the similarity between what the prophet Jeremiah expresses and the life experiences which some working for the restoration of human dignity in the world of today must endure. The prophet Jeremiah tells us what he experienced when the enemies seek to get rid of us, “Terror from every side! Denounce him, let us denounce him”. And it gets worse when those who should be on the same side as ourselves’ join the oppressors. “All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall. “Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then we will master him and take our revenge”. Faced with this pain, Jeremiah calls on those suffering injustice while they work on God’s behalf to “commit their cause to God, to sing to the Lord and praise the lord for he delivers the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men.
The Gospel passage given to us for this 12th Sunday of Ordinary time gives us the perspective of Jesus himself as we face the problems that preaching the Gospel of Jesus often entails. It is important that we understand that preaching has three dimensions. There are some situations in which preaching brings no problems, either because those listening have no problems with what the person preaching is expressing, or because the person hearing does not care about Gospel values and simply ignores them, secure in the knowledge that they will not affect the decisions and stances which he/she will adopt in life. Then there are those who hate the Gospel message and see it as an attack on what they consider important. When such situations arise, we often see governments and at times the very rich, using extreme measures to crush religious and secular movements, especially those calling for social justice. The church often suffers persecution because of this but the saying, The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians has also over the years proven to be true. What is important for all of us who call ourselves disciples and find ourselves suffering because of our allegiance to Christ is the attitude of the great saints of the church who teach us that Christians are not called to ignore the reality of pain or persecution, but to unite their unique sufferings with the Passion of Christ. By doing so, the faithful are empowered to move beyond a self-centered spirituality toward a communal, “social” life in God, capable of beholding both the horror and the beauty of the world through the radiant lens of the Resurrection. It is always important to recognize and remember the transforming love of God’s grace found in the Cross. What is equally important is that in Christian families, children be taught to accept pain and suffering and offer that pain and suffering to God for the good of others, their parents, brothers and sisters and friendships, thus showing and proving the link between our suffering and the salvation of others. Jesus is aware that the prospect of pain and very often death fills us with fear. He tells his disciples however, not to be afraid of those who can cause us pain and even death but rather those who can cause us to suffer the pains of Hell.
As we think of the great citizens of our time, many of them not catholic even non-Christians who have accepted pain and suffering as they strove to build more decent homes and living conditions for the poor and excluded citizens of their countries; Martin Luther King in the United states, Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi in India and many others too numerous to name. I remember also the little people who face and suffer persecution because of their faith but have remained faithful. Unfortunately, this is a problem which still exists These quiet sufferers and more and more indigenous peoples stripped of their lands supposedly to allow development to take place are a stain on present day civilization. Faced with this reality what are disciples of Jesus supposed to do. The book of Deuteronomy 15:7-8 states: “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be open-handed and freely lend them whatever they need”. This passage of the book of Deuteronomy emphasizes the importance of generosity and compassion towards those in need within the community. It encourages individuals to be open-and willing to help others, reflecting a core principle of social responsibility in biblical teaching.
The words of Saint John Paul 11 at his inauguration as Bishop of Rome, also tell us. “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of states, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid, Christ knows what is in man. He alone knows it.” This call to all humanity, believing and unbelieving, if heard, has the capacity to revolutionize all human relationships, and to bring the world back to the state of total harmony that God wills for the world. In this struggle, which is not easy because the forces of evil prey on human weakness, the church as the first line of offense proclaims the truth of the Gospel and calls the faithful to live harmoniously through her encyclicals on Social Justice, for many the best kept secrets of the Church. These teachings must no longer be secret and must be the stimuli in the creation of a world in which all people experience the loving mercy of God. God as we all know is the creator and he calls us to join with him in the enterprise of recreating harmony. We must not be afraid. Such an attitude is of course going into deep waters, but Christ stilled the waters of the sea that threatened to sink the boat of his disciples. He tells us again, “Do not be afraid” Let us therefore look at our tasks and as we were told last week, let us plan, relying not on ourselves but on the Holy Spirit who strengthened the first apostles and disciples and because of that strength down through the ages we believe and there are many, Christian and none Christian who work to recreate that world of harmony. In our attitudes and human desires, may we be people who creatively are builders and not destroyers of harmony. What beautiful nations we would all have if true harmony was our goal in life. What enlightening and prophetic religious life we will enjoy if we are faithful to God’s teaching. “Let us not be afraid.”
Prayer,
All powerful and ever-loving God, You desire that the world you created to share your happiness be a world of total harmony. Unfortunately, human beings listened to and accepted the temptation to think of themselves and not of others, thus destroying the harmony which existed in the beginning. Thankfully your love would not allow us to destroy ourselves and you sent your son to show us the folly of the actions of our first parents and the way to return to the harmony which you created. Help us Father to listen to your Word, made human for us in the life of Jesus. May your divine grace strengthen us to imitate him, so that your kingdom of Justice, Peace and love be established here on earth. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and Jesus your Son. Amen
