Homily 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time - June 21, 2026
Today's readings can be found here . As I prepared my homily for this weekend, I really struggled with the Scriptures. The first thing that jumped out at me: being an authentic disciple of Jesus comes at a cost. Jeremiah laments that his friends turned on him. He has persecutors on every side just waiting to get even with him. The psalmist laments that zeal for the house of God results in insults, shame, and being cast out. In the verses from Matthew just before today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples they will be persecuted for their belief in Him. But as I reflected more deeply on them, the message of our readings became clearer to me. First and foremost, Jesus tells us, do not be afraid. It’s easy to feel afraid in today’s world. Politicians are telling us to be afraid of things all the time. Of those different from us, of the outsider, of those that disagree with their beliefs. It can be difficult to be ...