12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A (2026)
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 (14c)
Romans 5:12-15
Matthew 10:26-33
June 21, 2026
As a prophet, Jeremiah faced ridicule and persecution. He heard “the whisperings of many” who denounced him. It wasn’t just from strangers. Even his former friends had turned against him, rejecting the messages he delivered from the Lord. They watched his every step looking for a misstep to accuse him of wronging so they could take vengeance on him.
Jeremiah lamented his situation. This is the last of several laments to God by Jeremiah. He felt duped and trapped by the Lord.
Jeremiah was not “whining.” He had real reason to lament. He did not simply complain. Yes, he offered a complaint but he also expressed his trust in the Lord. He professed that the Lord was with him and that his persecutors would stumble and be put to utter shame.
What complaints do you have? In the midst of what is going on that you are complaining, do you trust in the Lord?
Jeremiah offered one petition, “let me witness the vengeance you take on them.” This line always troubles me. I see “vengeance” in a negative way. When I hear “vengeance,” I think of it as “revenge” and revenge is not good. It is not based on justice but rather anger.
However, if you look up vengeance in a dictionary, you will find a definition of punishment in retaliation for a wrongdoing. This can be justice if we do not let anger take over. Still, I leave vengeance to the Lord. I pray for the conversion of those who oppose me. I pray they come to know the Lord and follow him.
Jeremiah ends his lament by praising God, “for He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked.”
Jeremiah is not alone in his lament. In Psalm 69, the writer speaks of the insults and shame he bears for the Lord. The writer laments becoming an outcast and a stranger. Yet, the writer also professes his/her zeal for the Lord that consumes him. He/she trusts the Lord and asks for his help.
What troubles you?
Jesus says to us, “Fear no one.”
We live in a troubled world. There are wars, mass shootings, polarization, and the abandonment of truth. Part of the problem is that people have stopped listening to God. Some have even come to deny that God exists. They seek to make their own truth. We cannot make truth. We can come to know the real truth but we cannot make truth.
Do you seek to make your own truth or do you desire to know the Lord’s Truth?
Jesus promises a day will come when, “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.” Jesus has given us a message to proclaim. Do you open yourself to the message? Do you proclaim it to others or do you keep concealed what is meant to be revealed? The world needs to hear what God is saying.
We might find it simpler to keep it hidden because we are afraid of those who can “kill the body.” When it is God’s message that we are delivering, we should not fear them. They may ridicule us. They may try to silence us. They may even martyr us. So what?
Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body. Rather, we should be concerned with the one who can kill the soul.
When it comes to sharing our faith, we do well to begin by asking the Lord in prayer what we are to say and when to say it.
Do you acknowledge our Lord in speaking with others or do you deny him? Remember, what Jesus says
“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.”
Which do you choose?
Peace,
Fr. Jeff