12th Sunday of Ordinary Times

Readings for:12th Sunday of Ordinary Times, Year A

Reading 1   Jeremiah 20:10-13 

Psalm          Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 

Reading 2   Romans 5:12-15 

Gospel        Matthew 10:26-33      

REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel     

     The theme of this Sunday is Persecution. This is the theme that binds together all three readings. The light of God disturbs those who prefer to live in darkness and they inevitably react by opposition. Persecution often troubled the lives of the prophets. The first reading reminds us of the prophet Jeremiah. In the Gospel, Jesus says that persecution is a kind of cloak that his disciples will have to wear if they are to be firm in their beliefs. The second reading compares Adam with Christ and confirms that in the struggle between good and evil, good will always triumph. 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will.” The point of Jesus’ saying about the sparrow is that these birds were among the most insignificant creatures that people in Jesus’ time and place could imagine, because they were very common in the Holy Land, very cheap, but so small they yielded very little meat. For this reason, Jesus tried to reassure his followers by teaching them that God is watching over them. Jesus holds up the image of the sparrow to reinforce the disciples' trust and hope in God. Jesus reminds them that his loving Father, who exercises care for insignificant creatures like sparrows, will surely care for them. In this way the tiny sparrow becomes an image of hope. When we become confused, frustrated and fearful, we may find clarity and a hope in this image. Remember, a lion never looks back when small dogs bark. 

Like the prophets, the disciples, and the psalmist who bears insult and becomes an outcast for serving the Lord, we may at times feel alone and abandoned by God.  Yet we must remember that God is ever faithful. As prophet Jeremiah proclaims, “The Lord is with me like a mighty champion.” True discipleship carries risk. In living by and witnessing to the message of Jesus Christ, we risk ridicule, rejection and isolation by those who cannot accept Jesus’ message of love. Yet, by risking these things, by remaining faithful, we win what is truly important: a privileged place in God’s kingdom. When Jesus tells us not to fear, he’s telling us not to worry and to put our trust in him that things will come out alright in the end. “ We know that all things work for good there who love God.” (Roman 8:28)