"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."
Life is difficult. Terrible things happen to us, to others across the planet, and to the world in general. But our faith gives us hope. We know that God watches over us, cares for us, and has given us the promise of eternal life. We come here today to praise and thank God for all the blessings that have been bestowed on us, blessings that help us cope with the misfortunes, the wrongs, and the evil that we suffer. Let us glory in God’s love and mercy.
Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
In the face of enemies on all sides, long-suffering Jeremiah puts his trust in the Lord. The first reading establishes the theme running throughout today’s scripture passages: We can always rely on the Lord. The psalmist turns to the Lord, whose kindness is constant. Paul points out that God’s grace—given by Jesus on the cross—is greater than the sins of humanity. Jesus assures his disciples that God watches over them to the smallest detail. May God’s word reassure us as well.
Reflections
Grace > sin. This is the point that Paul is making to the Romans. As terrible as sin is—for it caused a fundamental separation from God and brought mortality and death—grace is greater. The grace that Jesus won for us on the cross restores our union with God and brings the promise of immortality through eternal life. Grace is stronger than sin for when both are present, grace overcomes sin. Grace overcomes not just the original sin Adam brought into the world; it is able to overcome all human sin. Grace washes our soul clean from sin.
Last Sunday we heard Jesus send the Twelve out to the countryside of Galilee, instructing them to proclaim: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). This is what he is now encouraging them to proclaim from the housetops. However, he has just warned them about persecution. Like Jeremiah, they would hear people denounce them and worse. But God would watch over them, over every little hair on their heads. Proclaiming the immanence of God’s kingdom from the housetops is an acknowledgment that Jesus embodies the kingdom. For this, Jesus assures them that he will acknowledge them in turn.
Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus all faced persecution, for their values aligned with God’s, not society’s. Jeremiah’s message that Jerusalem’s fall was God’s punishment for the people’s sinfulness did not win him many friends. Indeed, his friends stood ready to take vengeance on him. Paul repeatedly preached a countercultural message across the Gentile world. Jesus found enemies among both religious and political authorities. Tradition holds that Jeremiah was martyred in exile after the fall of Jerusalem, killed by fellow exiles. If this is true, then all three died at the hands of their persecutors. But as Jesus told the Twelve, those who can kill the body but not the soul should not be feared. We have no less an obligation to bear witness to our faith in an often cynical and intolerant world. Our life in the Lord can overcome our very real fears in our day-to-day life.
Question of the Week
What am I reluctant to take a stand on? How can I bear witness most effectively and realistically?
-from Pastoral Patterns
readings of the mass
LISTEN HEREto the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, June 25, 2023
SELECT HEREfor the Readings of Sunday, June 25, 2023
Offerings
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