Homily for the Evening Mass on the Twelfth Sunday of Easter
Readings for Year A: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 68; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33
Throughout the Old Testament we see the prophets struggling against rejection and persecution. The message God calls them to proclaim is challenging, unpopular, disturbing. Those in authority, or those with their own set ideas of the way things should be, are threatened by the prophets. This is particularly true of Jeremiah. His message is that the people have abandoned God and now Jerusalem is going to be destroyed and the people taken into exile. Clinging to the fact that they have the Temple in Jerusalem, the city of God, is no use unless they actually live out the covenant the Temple symbolises.
This experience of the prophet Jeremiah in our first reading is one we can also see in Jesus himself and in the early Church. Jesus message was one which was uncomfortable, especially for those in authority, and this led to his crucifixion. The early Church soon found itself in conflict with those around them. Firstly, in conflict with those who rejected their idea that God’s dealings with the Jewish people found its fulfilment in Jesus and threw them out the synagogues. Secondly, in conflict with the authorities because they did not follow the civil religion of the Roman Empire. It is with this in mind that Jesus tells his disciples not to be afraid.
Most of us do not find ourselves in the position of the prophets or the early church. We do not experience persecution. Sometimes the message we have to proclaim may be uncomfortable. As Christians we are often called to speak out on behalf of those who are at the edges of our society, refugees, the homeless, those who are poor or discriminated against. We are called to proclaim that all people are equal in the sight of God and have an equal claim to our concern; we are called to be particularly aware of the way in which our activities impact on God’s creation; we are called to take sexual morality seriously in ways which sometimes go against the attitudes of society around us. Those things can make us unpopular and for some Christians standing up for those things can mean putting their lives on the line. There are also places where Christians do not enjoy the religious freedom we do and where they face the same kind of persecution as the early Church. However, usually, for most of us that is not where we most need to hear Jesus message, “Do not be afraid”.
We can be afraid, not so much of persecution, as of being the odd one out, of not fitting into society’s expectations because of our faith and our values. Much easier just to go along with things even if the trouble our conscience. We can be afraid of situations we have to face in our own lives or in the world around us. This is particularly true at the present time as we experience Covid 19 with all that it has brought with it. Sickness, old age, changing circumstances, uncertainty all these things can make us afraid. In these things too we need to hear that message of Jesus, “Do not be afraid”. We need to trust that Jesus will be with us, that ultimately the love of God will triumph. So as we celebrate this Mass so we ask that we might have the courage to face the challenges of life with trust and hope, courage to live out the Gospel and proclaim the values of the Gospel even when they are not comfortable or popular.
Fr Chris Pedley SJ