06/20/2026
Hi,
Below is the homily from Father for this coming Sunday.
Have a blessed day.
Peace, JoAnne
12th Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle. A. 2026.
The central message running through today's readings is God's invitation to trust Him courageously in the midst of fear, opposition and suffering. Human life is often marked by anxieties, uncertainties, rejection and struggles, yet the Lord repeatedly tells His people: “Do not be afraid”.
Fear can destroy the quality and beauty of life. A report says that half of the people among us are constant worriers. Fear is, always a fatal disease of the heart, for its beginning signals the end of faith. Mental distress can lead to migraine headaches, arthritis, heart trouble, ulcers, depression and many disorders in life, and yes, even to death. Release the regrets of yesterday, refuse the fears of tomorrow and receive the peace of today.
Prophet Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet”. The reason was he announced to the people of Israel the impending destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, for which he had to pay a high price. He was vehemently opposed, experienced betrayal, ridicule, arrest, imprisonment, disgrace and even exile. Though he had reason to lose hope, he kept his faith in God. See what he says, “The Lord is with me like a mighty champion, sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked”. This means that he knew that the Lord was with him and would always win in the end and save the faithful.
Look at the Gospel reading today: Jesus was sending out his disciples to evangelize in a hostile world and it was natural for them to fear. But yielding to this fear would cause them to abandon their mission. So Jesus said to them in his missionary speech, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who destroy both soul and body in hell”. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows”.
Fear God instead of fearing other things. Fear of God will help us to be closer to God. It will keep us under his protection. Trust in God’s presence. Psalm 118:6 says, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. “What can man do to me?” Sometimes God’s presence is hard to trust in because we have to believe that He is there with us.
There was a father who took his two children to an amusement park. The children were extremely excited to be there. After going on all the rides they wanted to, the father said, “now it’s time for the ghost train!" The children- both of them just didn’t want to go-yet the father insisted, because it was part of the experience of going to an amusement park. So he took them for the ride. At the end, the little girl said to her brother- “Were you scared?” The brother replied, No”. "How could that be?” asked his sister?. "Because I had my eyes closed!” He replied. "What about you, where you scared?” asked the brother? The little sister replied; “I was, sure, but it was okay, because I was holding daddy’s hand!" Let us hold on to God’s hands and do not be afraid because we are of far more value than many sparrows put together.
It is really comforting to know that the God of all creation keeps track of the little sparrows and the hair from our scalp that finds its way into the shower drain. In God’s eye everything is important not just the spectacular. Everything in creation was ordained by God and has been labeled, “good”. The Creator who established the moon and the stars and put the planets in their orbits, still has his eye on the sparrows. When we are enveloped by the providential care of our heavenly Father even to the smallest detail, why should we be afraid? So let us not be afraid!!