Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
Patience in the Midst of Persecution- In this Time of Pandemic
v Jer 20:10-13
v Ps 69:8-10, 14,
17, 33-35
v Rom 5:12-15
v Matt 10:26-33
Jeremiah
was among the most persecuted of Israel’s prophets. He was mocked, imprisoned,
forced to witness Jerusalem on fire and banished from the community, but his
courage, patience, and perseverance are worth imitating. In today’s first
reading, Jeremiah laments and teaches us to trust in divine victory in the
midst of temporal persecution. Just as Jeremiah prayed, lamented, and entrusted
his cause to the Lord, we are to always entrust our causes, our journeys, and
our adventures to the Lord, who is merciful, kind and gracious.
Saint
Paul, in the second reading (Rom 5:12-15) acknowledges this
divine graciousness manifested in Christ. Paul says, through one man, Adam, sin
entered into the world; through one man also, Jesus, life enters into the
world. Through Christ, grace upon grace has flourished in the world.
This
flourishing love and presence of God is what preoccupies Matthew in the Gospel.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Christ rightly teaches that we should not be afraid of
those who can only kill the body, while the spirit lives on under the watchful
care of Christ Jesus (Matt 10:26-33).
Just
as the Lord cares for even the sparrows, he will take care of us, as we are
worth more than a sparrow.
As we
face poverty, coronavirus pandemic, violent, shameful racism, indifference to
evil, a struggling economy, an unstable democracy, and other challenges, let us
trust in the Lord with patience, faith, and hope.
Reflection
Questions:
1. How
often do you pray and hope patiently in the Lord?
2. How
do you react in terms of faith during life’s challenges like ongoing pandemic
and uncertainties?
3. How
do you relate to today’s reading, particularly the life of Jeremiah?
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