Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A (2026)
Sunday, June 21, 2026
Jeremiah was a major prophet in the Kingdom of Judah during the late seventh and early sixth centuries B.C. Born into a priestly family, he accepted God’s call to prophecy and embarked on a tumultuous ministry that lasted nearly half a century. His life was marked by opposition, imprisonment, and personal suffering. Central to Jeremiah’s message were warnings of impending divine judgment. He called out the nation’s idolatry, social injustices, and moral decay, urging the people to repent before disaster struck. Yet the people did not receive his words as a warning; they saw them as a threat that had to be silenced. For reasons that were both religious and political, they turned against him, seized him, and demanded his death. Although Jeremiah survived multiple arrests and periods of imprisonment, his story ended with martyrdom; he is traditionally said to have been stoned in Egypt. Although Jeremiah felt “Terror on every side,” fear did not diminish his faith in God or fidelity to His calling.
A life of steadily increasing trials and sorrows did not lead Jeremiah to doubt, question, or dilute his message. Instead, he found peace and proclaimed, “The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not prevail.” —Jeremiah 20:11. Fear can be a paralyzing emotion. We have all encountered fear and, at times, have been overcome by it. It can make us hesitant to speak, move, and act as we ought to. In today’s Gospel, the Lord commands us not to be afraid, not because He will make our trials and sorrows go away, but because we should be fearful of something else that is even more consequential: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” —Matthew 10:28. Jesus makes a crucial distinction between fear of the things of the world, which, of course, can bring real anxiety and distress, and the fear of the Lord, which gives proper perspective. Lest this command to holy fear cause the disciples to despair, Christ immediately balances His warning with a tender assurance of divine providence: “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” —Matthew 10:29. As Jeremiah had, let us recognize God as our champion. We should be at peace even as we suffer fear of the things of this world because the grace of God and our fidelity to Him promise us eternal life.
In the midst of great fear, to whom do we turn? Let us spend time this week thinking of the things we fear: illness, suffering, death, failure, financial insecurity, loss of control, rejection, judgment, and humiliation. Then, let us bring our fears and anxieties to God in prayer. Let us ask Him what we should do and trust in Him while we wait for His answer, for these are all things of this world. Let us be mindful that fear is grounded in not trusting in God, our Heavenly Father. God cannot fail to love us, for He truly is love. Jesus in today’s Gospel reminds us that even the hairs of our head are numbered. Let this be our prayer: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.” —Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.