TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
20 JUNE 2026
The
Prophet Jeremiah had a difficult job.
God called him to tell the truth to his people. They wanted to believe that all would be well
with them. Just as God had delivered
their ancestors from the invasion of the Assyrians two hundred years
previously, God would save them now from the assault of the Babylonians. God would protect them, because they have the
temple, the king, and the priests as signs of their identity. But Jeremiah tells them the truth that they
must change their ways and return to the Covenant established by Moses. They accuse him of being a traitor and treats
him badly. Their rejection is very painful
to him.
We hear him
complaining in the first reading. He
tells God that his former friends are whispering about him and plotting
vengeance on him. He does not hesitate
to pour out his pain in his prayer. In
his prayer, he says that God is with him like a mighty champion. Then he prays a prayer of petition, begging
God to take vengeance on his enemies.
Finally, he praises the Lord for the many times God has rescued the life
of the poor from the power of the wicked.
His enemies would eventually take his life. Yet the truth of his words remains so strong
that the Book of the prophet Jeremiah guides us many years later.
In last
Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus sent his apostles on a mission to proclaim the presence
of the kingdom of heaven. He gave them
authority over unclean spirits and to cure every disease and illness. Today, he warns them that they would not be
accepted by some and that they will be rejected, as Jeremiah had been rejected
for speaking the truth. Despite the
dangers and the hatred that will come for them, they should not be afraid. They can complain in prayer, as Jeremiah had
done. Jesus assures them that the Father
loves them so much he knows how many hairs are on their heads. He urges them to pray for those who persecute
them and to trust that truth and love will prevail in the midst of lies and
hatred. He tells them that their enemies
have the power to kill their bodies, but cannot kill their souls.
Most of
them were killed in their efforts to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. John may not have suffered a violent
death. But he endured persecution and
exile to the Island of Patmos. Over the
centuries, disciples have suffered persecutions and death. Recently, we celebrated the Memorial of Saint
Charles Lwanga and his companions. In
the mid nineteenth century, he and his young companions were sent to a
prominent tribal chief in Uganda to learn leadership skills from him. Instead, he forced himself on them and
insisted that they deny their faith.
They were brutally murdered. They
trusted that the chief could not kill their souls. My friend, Father Larry Kanyike emailed me to
report that a million people were present for Mass at Namugongo, the shrine of
their martyrdom. The faith is
flourishing in Uganda because of their faith and courage.
Hopefully,
we will be spared such a brutal end, which many Christians around the world are
suffering today. However, as disciples
of Jesus Christ, we will ultimately suffer rejection and misunderstanding when
we witness to the truth of the Lord in our lives. Fathers, how many times have your children
reacted negatively to your honest efforts to be a good father and correct them? How often have you engaged in daily acts of
love, without receiving any kind of thanks or gratitude? Those reactions go along with the vocation of
being a father.
When we
hear the whisperings of many who are gossiping about what we have done or said,
we react with hurt and pain. We can
complain to God in prayer and renew our trust that the Lord loves each of
us. More importantly, we can recall the
ways we have misjudged others or gossiped about them. The Lord shows us his
mercy and calls us to extend that mercy back to him, present in those who have
trespassed against us.
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