Homily Ordinary 12A: Persecution is part of the Christian equation

 Homily for 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 2026

20200621 @7pm – Ascension

Introduction

I was in the third grade when I first wanted to become a priest. I saw the priest at the altar in those nice vestments, everybody calling him "Father." But what impressed me most was that he could stand there and preach for twenty minutes and nobody talked back to him. So I told my mother, "I want to be that guy."

Of course, I had to wait a few more years before I could formally apply to the seminary. When the time finally came, I did. Very soon, however, I discovered that my childhood image of the priesthood was not quite complete. Seminary formation had its challenges. Priesthood had even greater challenges. Being a minister of Jesus Christ is no walk in the park.

One of the things that helped me overcome my youthful naiveté was studying Scripture. For example, today’s readings remind us of something that every disciple, and especially every minister of the Gospel, eventually learns: persecution is not an accident of the Christian life. It is part and parcel of the Christian equation.

Scripture and Theology

Our first reading presents the prophet Jeremiah. God called him at a critical moment in Israel's history. The people had turned away from the Lord. They were convinced everything was fine when it was not.  Jeremiah's mission was to tell them the truth.

Jeremiah’s message was simple: “repent and return to God.” If they refused, disaster would come upon them. Jerusalem would fall. The Temple would be destroyed. God would use foreign nations to discipline His people.

Now imagine receiving that assignment of Jeremiah.  Imagine being told by God to spend your life delivering a message that people do not want to hear.  Then imagine the response of the people, which is, like today, not to examine or listen to the message, but to attack the messenger.

Jeremiah is mocked, rejected, threatened, and eventually condemned. You can tell his anguish as he cries: "I hear the whisperings of many: . . . Denounce! Let us denounce him!'" Even his friends are watching for him to fail.  Earlier in the book, Jeremiah even complained to God: "You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped.” In other words, "Lord, this is not what I signed up for."

Jeremiah discovers that proclaiming God's truth does not always earn applause. Often it earns ridicule. Often it earns rejection. Sometimes it earns persecution.

Yet he also discovers something else. God never abandons those whom He sends.  That is why he can finally proclaim: "But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion." The opposition is real. The suffering is real. But God is more real still.

That same lesson appears in today's Gospel.  Jesus is preparing the Twelve for their mission. Notice what He does not say. He does not say, "If people oppose you." He does not say, "If persecution comes." No. He assumes it will come. He tells them, three times: "Fear no one."  "Do not be afraid." "Do not be afraid."

Jesus knows that anyone who faithfully proclaims the Gospel will eventually encounter opposition. But He also knows that God is greater than every opponent. God, the one who watches over the sparrows watches over His disciples as well.

Christian Life

We need to hear that message today.  And I am not speaking only to priests, deacons, and bishops. Through baptism, every one of us is called to be a witness to Christ.  And Jesus never promised that this would be an easy ride; in fact, he promised the opposite.  The measure of a disciple is not whether he encounters opposition, but whether he remains faithful when opposition comes

That is because the Gospel challenges every human heart. It challenges our sins, our selfishness, our pride, and our idols. And whenever the Gospel challenges us, there is a temptation to reject the messenger rather than receive the message.  That has been true throughout the history of the Church.  Just look at the recent popes, today’s Jeremiah’s who have been attacked by one group or other

In 1961 Pope John XXIII wrote a document called in Latin Mater et Magistra, which translates to Mother and Teacher, that the Church is both a Mother and Teacher.  Unfortunately then, as today, many Catholics like teenagers responded: “I will accept you as my mother, but not as my teacher.”  It is one thing to struggle with understanding and living by Church teaching on any subject, as we all do.  It is another thing to reject it out of hand and to do so with contempt.

Pope Benedict XVI, was perhaps the greatest theologian of the last one hundred years.  When he rightly diagnosed the central problem of today’s world, the dictatorship of relativism and the abandonment of truth, he was routinely attacked.

Perhaps no recent pope has experienced the fate of Jeremiah than Pope Francis. He tried to remind us of the basic teachings of the gospel, God’s love and mercy, concern for the little ones and the marginalized.  And for his efforts, he was called all manner of names, some of which I cannot repeat at this pulpit.

And now with the current Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, who has been our shepherd for a little more than a year.  Politicians, even Catholic ones, activists, media personalities, take wanton pleasure in condemning him for his message of peace and reconciliation.  

But this is not really about Pope Leo or any pope for that matter. It is about something much deeper.  Too often we judge the Gospel through the lens of ideology rather than judging ideology through the lens of the Gospel. That is why the attacks often come from opposite directions at the same time.  One group says the pope is too conservative.  Another says he is too progressive. Instead of asking, "How must I change in order to follow Christ?" we ask, "How can I make Christ support what I already think?"

This temptation is not found in only one political or ideological movement, but in all of them.  Whenever our political loyalties, cultural preferences, or personal opinions become more important than the Gospel, like the people of Jeremiah’s time, we have begun to follow something other than our Lord.

We should not be surprised when faithful disciples are opposed today, like they did with Jeremiah. After all, if the world rejected the perfect preacher, Jesus Christ Himself, and killed him on the Cross, why should we expect a better reception?

And this applies, not just to our leaders, but even to us in our daily lives.  Think of parents trying to raise children in the faith today. Sometimes they are mocked for insisting on Sunday Mass. Sometimes they are criticized for teaching Christian sexual morality. Sometimes they are accused of being old-fashioned simply because they insist on traditional values like modesty and discipline.

Yet, faithful they must remain, despite the opposition and attacks.  Parents must preach the Gospel in their homes, at work, on the street.  And every baptized Christian must bear witness to Christ, whether the message is welcomed or rejected.  Our responsibility is not to make the Gospel popular, but fidelity to it.

Conclusion

And today, Father’s Day, as we honour our natural fathers, let us not forget to pray for our fathers in the faith, our priests and bishops.  Pray for me in a special way, 46 years since I first wanted to be a priest and 28 years since my ordination, that nothing will stop me and my brother priests, from preaching the Gospel in season and out of season. And pray the same for yourselves. For whether we are fathers in our families, priests in our parishes, or disciples in the world, the Lord says the same thing to all of us today: "Fear no one... Do not be afraid... You are worth more than many sparrows."