Homily, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

12th Sunday of Year A

Readings: Jer. 20:10-13; Rm 5:12-15; Mt 10:26-33

Today’s first reading and Gospel remind us that as Christians, we will face difficulties and persecutions for the sake of our Faith: We will face discrimination, calumnies, detractions and even persecution, which is still happening worldwide. And in the face of these adversities, we encounter daily, we shall also feel the temptation to let ourselves be carried away by fear and to hide our condition as Christians, deterring us from the testimony that we must give. However, in today’s Gospel Our Lord assures us; “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Mt 10: 26-33). Jesus cautions us to put our fear where it belongs; we should fear the loss of eternal life far more than we fear the threats of human beings, mortal and accountable like ourselves.

Essentially, Jesus describes what might be called “the peace this world gives”.  This peace is neither a negative nor a bad peace. It is real and good, but it is fragile and inadequate. It can easily be taken away from us. Peace, as we experience it ordinarily in our lives, is generally predicated on feeling healthy, being loved, and secure. All these are good, but they are fragile. They can change radically with one visit to the doctor, with an unexpected dizzy spell, loss of a job, rupture of a relationship or the death of a loved one. We usually take formidable measures to guarantee health, security, and the trustworthiness of our relationships, but at the same time we live inside an anxious peace knowing that all these can be temporary.

In today’s passage, Jeremiah refuses to be intimidated by ‘terror from every side’. That doesn’t mean that the terror doesn’t get to him. Jeremiah has been abandoned by all his friends who now try to discredit him. He is thrown into prison for his preaching, and the army council threatens him with death if he doesn’t change his tune. But Jeremiah refuses to be bullied into agreement because he believes that “the Lord is with him like a mighty champion”. What keeps Jeremiah sane amidst all this persecution is the profound belief that God cares for him.

Today’s readings seem to point to two great truths of discipleship. The first is that we are deeply loved. Our creator has counted all the hairs on our heads, and we are infinitely precious to him. This we know, as today’s psalm proclaims, that the Lord hears us when we call out to him, ‘and his own who are in bonds he spurns not”. And this leads us to the second truth; sometimes we will be “in bonds”. Being a follower of Christ does not entitle us to comfort, luxury and safety; in fact, sometimes it will lead us in the opposite direction. Jesus warns the twelve apostles before he sends them out on mission that they will very likely be met with derision, even stating; “You will be hated by all because of my name’ (Mt 10:22). Even if they face hatred and trials, they are to fear no one and nothing, for their souls are protected by the God of everlasting life.

In his book, “Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life”, a renowned writer and theologian Henri Nouwen writes; “there is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our life so that even in our most happy moments there is something missing. In every satisfaction there is an awareness of limitation. In every success, there is fear of jealousy. In every friendship, there is distance. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In this life there is not such a thing as a clear-cut, pure joy. Every bit of life is touched by a bit of death.”

Only God can allay our deepest fears! As we journey through the Ordinary time of the Year, living and growing in Christ, we called to sink deeply into these two truths; that discipleship will at times involve hardships and we should always remember that we are deeply loved of God. May we always be assured of God’s care through all our trials.