TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

IT IS REALLY RISKY TO GO AGAINST THE TRAFFIC 

Introduction

Before entering a street, we pay attention to the signs. It is necessary to determine if we are on a collision course with anyone. When observing movement, the disciple of Christ has an immediate and acute feeling of driving against traffic. If he chooses the path of renunciation, sharing goods, giving unselfish love, pardoning without limit, keeping their word, he sees the traffic going in the opposite direction. He realizes that no matter how cautiously and prudently he proceeds, a clash becomes inevitable. He will always be the one to suffer, be considered out of place, and be accused of breaking the accepted rules.

The wicked view the righteous as a “reproach to our way of thinking” (Wis 2:14), “creates embarrassment”(Wis 2:12); annoying “because he does not live like others and he behaves strangely” (Wis 2:15).

In times of persecution, a Christian can doubt the direction they have taken. After checking if he is really following the Master, he must not let himself be overcome with fear. He who moves with open eyes and lives in the light is on the right path.

• To internalize the message, we will repeat:

“We will not be asked if we won or lost, but if we have fought for the right cause.”

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13

Jeremiah said: “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him!’ All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. ‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.’ But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” 

Jeremiah lives in one of the most dramatic moments in the history of his people. Nebuchadnezzar’s army is surrounding Jerusalem and is going to take her by storm. The king and military commanders have lost their heads and taken foolish decisions. The religious leaders, instead of realizing that ruin is approaching, bless the choices of the military and incite the people saying: “Everything is fine, nothing bad will happen” (Jer 6:13-14), whereas everything goes wrong, and catastrophe is at hand.

Jeremiah seems the least likely person to enter this conflict. He is young, shy, sensitive, loves a peaceful life, and controversy is foreign to him. His dream is to live quietly in Anathoth with his family, but the Lord called him to a risky and challenging mission “against the kings of Judah and its leaders, its priests and the people of the land.” “Get ready for action; stand up and say to them all that I command you … They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue you” (Jer 1:17-19).

The priest, Pashur, son of Immer, the chief superintendent of the temple, is a sworn enemy of Jeremiah. He has Jeremiah scourged and put in shackles. The next day, released from prison, Jeremiah meets him and, ironically, he mucks up his name, calling him Magor, meaning terror— terror on every side (Jeremiah 20:1-3). Pashur—assures the prophet—he will no longer scare anyone. Still, soon it will be Pashur, startled and shocked, searching desperately for refuge in the city, when the Babylonian soldiers pursue him. He will be captured and enslaved; he will be carried into exile, where he will die along with those who deceived the people with their lies: he promised peace when the days of terror were approaching.

Today’s reading opens with the words of Jeremiah, recalling the crowd’s reaction to his denouncements. Using the nickname addressed to Pashur—terror on every side—people mock the prophet calling him a terror on every side as if to say: Now you’re terrified, not Pashur, we all see that you are dying of fear. The enemies of Jeremiah do not limit themselves to mockery and sarcasm. They plot, seeking a reason to try and condemn him in a kangaroo court. They also consider lynching him (v. 10).

His best friends are lost in the raucous crowd. The prophet left alone, sees his mission fail; he feels rejected by his people and abandoned by all. At this point, discouragement, uncertainty, despair, and even wonder whether his vocation was a deception are inevitable and understandable. He blurts his feelings at the Lord; he shouts out his pain, even to the point of cursing the day of his birth (Jer 20:14-18). This prayer of bold expression, although sincere, brings out in him the certainty of God’s fidelity. The disappointment, adversity and persecution have temporarily shaken his confidence and his hope but have failed to suffocate and extinguish them. Here he is to proclaim: “But Yahweh, a mighty warrior, is with me” (v. 11). Now he is sure that God will intervene, let the truth shine, and the defense of the just cause triumph.

The reading’s last verses (vv. 12-13) contain a rather violent vent against enemies. Jeremiah’s words should not be construed as an explosion of hatred but as a just and humane wish, to see his rationale triumph, his innocence recognized, and the wickedness of his opponents exposed. It is hard to be a prophet; it is difficult to tell the truth, be the first to raise your voice, and denounce what is wrong. It is more comfortable to hide, to pretend not to see, to let others talk. Still, if we want a new society, a church more in keeping with the Gospel and more docile to the Spirit, prophets are needed if we aspire to a newness of life. Like Jeremiah, may they have the courage to say what the Lord tells them, even at the risk of life.

Second Reading: Romans 5:12-15

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come.

But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. 

In this difficult passage from the letter to the Romans, Paul compares Adam and Jesus: he contrasts the consequences of the first man's sin with the justification achieved by Christ. He says that, from the beginning, humans have sinned and are not included in the plan of God. Then, over the centuries, they have continued to make mistakes and act unjustly, following the example of Adam, who disobeyed and turned away from God.

Jesus behaved in the opposite way: he was obedient to the Father, fulfilling his will until death.

The consequence of Adam’s sin was death. Not biological death—which is natural—but ‘non-life’ chosen by anyone who refuses to follow the footsteps of God. However, Grace obtained by the obedience of Christ is far superior to the troubles caused by human senselessness. By merit of Christ, God has communicated his life to all.

Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” 

The official documents issued in the name of Domitian begin with: ‘Our Lord and God commands you to do the following ….’ He was the emperor who erected statues everywhere in his honor and demanded he be worshiped as a god. The consul, Flavius ??Clemens, his cousin, converted to Christ but could not adhere to such an insane requirement. He was executed, and his wife Domitilla was exiled in Sardinia.

The worship of the emperor mainly spread through Asia Minor. A temple and a colossal statue of the god Domitian were erected in Ephesus. The local authorities, subservient to power, wanted everyone to bow down and worship the one the Revelation seer calls ‘the beast’ (Rev 13:4,12). Christians could not bestow divine honors on the king. For this, misappropriation, punishment, discrimination, and confiscation of property began. Many could no longer bear this constant harassment. They were at the limit of endurance and on the cusp of the risk of apostasy. How to help them through this challenging time?

To encourage the Christians of his community, Matthew inserted in this historical context into his Gospel, adding the sayings of the Master regarding the difficulties and persecutions that the disciples would have had to bear. For Christians, persecution is not accidental; it is an inescapable fact. Even the author of the second letter to Timothy (written more or less in the same period) reminds us: “All who want to serve God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12).

What recommendations did Jesus make to his persecuted disciples? He begins by warning them of fear. Fear has a positive vital function: it signals danger, prevents rash, risky, foolish responses. However, if it gets out of control, it hinders courageous action and resolute choices.

For those who have decided to follow Christ, fear is often the worst enemy. It manifests itself in fear of losing a position, of seeing the esteem of superiors diminished, of losing friendships, of being deprived of property, of being punished, demoted, or for some even of being killed. Whoever is afraid is no longer free. It is normal to be afraid, but woe to those dominated and guided by fear, they end up being paralyzed.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus insists three times: “Do not be afraid!” (vv. 26,28,31), and each time, he adds a motive to justify his recommendation. The announcer of the Gospel is afraid, first of all, because of the violence unleashed by the enemies of Christ, his mission might fail (vv. 26-27).

Jesus assures him that despite the trials and hardships, the Gospel will spread and transform the world. To add greater clarity, he cites the example of the rabbis of his time. Before sending their disciples to public discussions in the streets, they instruct them in secret. Their wisdom remains hidden for a long time, but eventually, all the people must acknowledge their wisdom and preparation. The same thing—Jesus assures us—will happen to his apostles. They probably will not see the seeds of goodness that they have sown with toil and pain germinate. However, they must cultivate the joyful certainty that the harvest will grow and will be plentiful. Their work will not be in vain, and even though they may be put to death, no enemy will be able to prevent the realization of God’s plan.

What happened to Jesus is revealing. His enemies were convinced they had silenced him forever by placing a huge, immovable rock on him and his message. However, he is risen on Easter day, just as the seed, buried in the ground, dies but reappears a hundredfold.

The second fear is that of being mistreated or even put to death (v. 28). Jesus invites us to reflect on what harm the enemies of the Gospel can do? They can offend, accuse unjustly, beat, confiscate property and take away life! Yes, but nothing more! No violence can deprive the disciple of the only lasting treasure: the life he has received from God that no one can take away. Paul was deeply convinced: “I am certain of this: neither trials or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing or dangers or sword … nothing will separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord” (Rom 8:35-39).

But there is someone—Jesus continues—that is to be feared. It is “the one who has the power to destroy both soul and body.” It is not an external character. It is the evil that, since birth, we carry within us. It is the opposing force that suggests paths opposed to those of Christ. So, we need to fear above all, ourselves and our fear. Have we not, for fear of being alone, many times cultivated ambiguous friendships or maintained relations that ended up making us slaves and preventing us from living? Have we not behaved cowardly, lied, and committed acts of injustice because of fear? Whoever is afraid fails to accomplish what would lead them to fulfillment in life and, therefore, perish.

The third reason why persecution frightens us is that often it affects not only us but also those around us who may be deprived of the necessary sustenance (vv. 29-31).

To this objection, Jesus responds by recalling trust in the heavenly Father’s providence. He does not promise his disciples that nothing will happen, that they will always be rescued. He assures them that God will still recognize their true goodness if they dare to remain faithful. The reminder that God has already counted every hair on the head is effective. No one can escape his love and his kindness. He is interested in every creature, even the smallest. This testifies to God’s determination to follow the cause of those fighting for the coming of his kingdom!

The passage ends with a promise: Jesus will recognize, before his Father, those who have recognized him before people (vv. 32-33). He is not speaking of the final judgment but of the occurrences of the present times. He is recognized by some of his disciples working in the world, but in others, he is not. He is made known by those who have not feared proclaiming his Gospel, even at the cost of life. He is not recognized by those who do not follow in his footsteps and by those who do not make his Word present in the world. Before the Father, he will testify to this.

Today, there are still many people killed because of the Gospel. Even without bloodshed, persecution exists, and it is unavoidable. Sometimes it openly manifests itself through insult and public taunts; other times through subtle and disguised marginalization, discrimination or exclusion. Those who have no concern for others have adapted the principles of this world and, perhaps, have given up on the Kingdom of God without realizing it.

READ: We are engulfed by sin, but God’s grace will help us triumph over it. No human life is outside the loving providence of God, as every person is precious in God’s eyes.

REFLECT: Our very life may seem like a burden too heavy to bear. But those are the very times we must trust in the goodness of the Lord and his promises. We have been redeemed by no less than the blood of Jesus Christ and therefore, for God, we are far more precious than anything else in creation.

PRAY: Faith should drive out all fear, both for the individual and for the Church. Let prayer free you from all fear.

ACT: Write out a prayer of trust in God’s providence, which may be used in times of trial.