Cycle A - Year II:  

21 June 2020: Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 20:10-13

Second Reading:   Romans 5:12-15

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 10:26-33

"Courage under persecution!"

We are now in the liturgical season called Ordinary Time, and this Sunday is the twelfth in Ordinary Time.

Let us have a brief refresher on the liturgical season.

Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar is a specific season in the Church which focuses on the life of Christ during His three years of public ministry.  There is no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ that is celebrated. Instead, the focus is on the mystery of Christ in all fullness or totality.  Ordinary Time is a year cycle of 33 or 34 weeks.

The color assigned for this season is green, which is most associated with growth. So then, Ordinary Time is a time of growing in our knowledge  and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For cycle A our evangelist is mostly St. Matthew.  Today's selected reading is part of the instruction of Jesus to His disciples after He has commissioned them to proclaim the coming of God's kingdom.

Jesus warns that in proclaiming God's kingdom, the disciples would be facing persecution and danger, but that those who want to follow our Lord must be courageous and not fear.

Now, what strikes most in these instructions of our Lord to His disciples are two warnings, namely the frequency with which Jesus refers to the persecutions and sufferings which the disciples will have to bear, and secondly the insistence repeated three times to the disciples not to be afraid.

So, therefore, the disciples should know that, because of the fact of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted.  But this should not be a reason for worrying, because a disciple should imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with Him.  This is really part of discipleship of our Lord Jesus Christ, as He Himself was persecuted and eventually died for us.

In sum, the Gospel reading this Sunday offers three significant messages for our reflection and guide in our Christian living.  These are:

First, the fear of rejection or even persecution cannot prevent us from proclaiming the Gospel and its most challenging demands on our Christian living. This is part of our witnessing of our Christian faith.

Second, we must trust in Jesus' promise that we are never alone in our efforts to do what is right for the kingdom.  Because our Lord has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us always.

And finally, the final judgement before God will be based on our faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ during the controversies and challenges that are part of our mission in the proclamation of God's kingdom here on earth.

And remember that at the end of the Gospel reading Jesus summarizes everything for us: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." (Mt 10:32-33)

As Christians, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we have the courage and the peace to render witness and to be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, because we know that we are in God's hands and that God is with us always, at every moment of our earthly journey.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!