The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home
June 21, 2026 – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Matthew10:26-33
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Jesus advises us this Sunday not to be fearful. Yet during our time of public unrest and uncertainty, this may seem to be unrealistic advice. In fact, there are dangers around us. We can think globally or locally and list any number of reasons to be fearful. Is Jesus being unrealistic? I think not.
What I think he warns us about is not to allow fear to overwhelm us. To shut us down to the point where we are almost afraid to get out of bed in the morning. Or greet a passing stranger. Or to apologize when we have offended someone. In other words, we live life too passively,
Matthew’s gospel is a call to live life fully. And to know that God is with us in our efforts. Today’s gospel reminds us that God is always at our side. We are never alone. I always smile when I read that God is so close to us and knows us so well that God even knows the number of hairs on our head. Well, I have been in the bald guy’s club for a good part of my life so that’s does not appear as much of an accomplishment in my case. Nevertheless, I like to think of God close to me, supporting my effort to be a good enough person.
In Jesus advising courage in the face of difficulties, he addressed one of the most common excuses for failing to say the right word or do the right thing when we have an opportunity to do so. We hide in our fear of possible conflict or rejection. We chose to be silent rather that offer our own view of things that might be helpful. Or take a stand for the good when it’s right to do so.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, we recall those brave individuals who felt injustice in the way they were treated by a foreign power. In signing their names to that famous declaration of freedom, they knew that they were risking their lives. Fear was at the door. But they went ahead, setting fear aside in pursuit of a better good for them and their neighbors.
In a similar way, each of us also must live with courage and cast fear aside to create a better situation when possible in our families, our neighborhoods, workplaces and churches. To borrow a principle for Vatican II, we are called to be “active participants” in our own lives. Don’t be afraid to do so.
David M. Thomas, PhD