TWELFH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
25 JUNE 2023
God
called the prophet Jeremiah to speak the truth to his people. Jeremiah tells them that they must reform
their ways and return to the Covenant.
If they do not, Gentiles will destroy their beloved city of
Jerusalem. No one wants to hear this
message. They do not see any need to
change their ways. They insist that God
will save them again, just as he had done two centuries before when an Assyrian
army was ravaged by disease and retreated from their attack. They argue that God will protect them again as
long as they continue to offer sacrifices in the Temple. They accuse Jeremiah of being a traitor and
turn against him. They denounce him on
every side. Jeremiah bears insult and
allows shame to cover his face. He maintains
his confidence that he is doing what God wants him to do. He is totally dependent on God, convinced
that God will vindicate him.
We see a similar dynamic in today’s
Gospel. Jesus has been proclaiming that
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. As the
Incarnate Word of God dwelling in our midst, he has been showing what the
unconditional love of God looks like to his disciples. Now he sends them out to proclaim that love
to others. He knows that authentic
prophets like Jeremiah were rejected for telling the truth about God’s
authentic love. So, Jesus warns his
disciples that in proclaiming the message of love, not everyone will accept
it. He knows that those guilty of
failing to love will feel resentment and will refuse to be confronted. That will happen to him when he is rejected
and crucified. It will happen to his
disciples whom he is sending out. They
will not be protected from all harm just because they are Christians. Jesus tells them three times that they should
not be afraid. He will be with them, no
matter what happens.
The Lord
sends us from this Mass to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is in our
midst. We proclaim the truth about God’s
love by the way we live and speak. In
our society, God does not matter to a lot of people. Instead of confining God to a temple, as people
did in Jeremiah’s time, many confine God to the realm of personal
sentiment. They are entitled to their
personal beliefs. Our physical lives may
not be threatened like the earliest disciples or as Christians in Nigeria
continue to have their lives threatened.
But we live in a time of deep divisions and animosity. When we Catholics speak out on matters of
social justice and public policies, we can be met with hostility. We are told that faith has no place in the
public square.
Jesus tells
us what he tells his first disciples. Do
not be afraid! We may be rejected by
others for living our faith. But as
disciples, we must also embrace the cross of Jesus Christ. Our crosses come in many shapes and
sizes. We might bear the cross of losing
our health. A loved one might die
suddenly and unexpectedly. An accident
can change the course of our lives in a moment.
A breakup in a close relationship can cause great pain.
The
prospect of rejection and of carrying heavy crosses can cause us to fear. But we can face rejection and crosses in
life, because Jesus assures us that we are much more important than two
sparrows that fall to the ground. The
Lord knows everything, even how many hairs are on our head. God is fully aware that we are subject to
harm. Even in the worst times when we do
not feel his presence, he is with us.
Jesus trusted that the Father was with him when he hung in agony and
shame on the cross. We must maintain
total dependence on God. The Father will
vindicate us, as he vindicated his only begotten Son.
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