Cycle A - Year I:  

25 June 2023: 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 

"Be courageous and do not fear!"

One of the best ways to enrich our experience of Sunday Mass is to read and meditate on the readings before attending Sunday Mass. In this way, we can relate more and understand better the sharing of the priest on the Mass readings.

Today's Gospel reading is part of the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples after He has commissioned  them to proclaim the coming of God's kingdom. Jesus warns that in doing this, the disciples would be facing persecution and danger, but that those who want to follow our Lord Jesus must be courageous and not fear.

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.

Jesus speaks to His disciples with clarity, foretelling of the conflicts they will run into as He sends them out on their mission. 

Even in our times, the reality is that there are enough reasons to be afraid as missionaries are not welcomed in many parts of the world. Preachers and priests are martyred. Even ordinary Christians are ridiculed and persecuted by forces seen and unseen.

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.

But Jesus is also making a point that God knows everything about us, down to the number of hairs we have on our heads. And God cares deeply about each of us, and God will always take care of us. We do not need to be afraid, even when life is seems difficult.

In sum, the Gospel readings tell us that 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 faith. Instead, we must trust in Jesus' promise that we are never alone in our efforts to do what is right for God's kingdom. Because our Lord has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us always. And 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 proclaiming God's kingdom here on earth.

Our assurances at the end of the Gospel reading is that 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)    

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!