Twelfth Sunday - Year A- WORLD CUP

A reading from the prophet Jeremiah

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Do not be afraid
MUSIC - HERE I AM LORD - https://youtu.be/mSzm7rEkmEU?si=B-Z_038Zt0WyoIHD

"Here I Am, Lord", also known as "I, the Lord of Sea and Sky" after its opening line, is a Christian hymn written by the American composer of Catholic liturgical music Dan Schutte in 1979. Its words are Relevant to this HOMPOD. 

Deacon Tom Copyright © 2022 -2026 
I  sincerly hope that no copyright has been infringed. Pardon is sought and apology made if the contrary is true, and a correction will be made in any future Hompods.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Permanent Deacon Talking, the twelfth Sunday in ordinary time. The Lord be with you. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. At that time Jesus instructed his apostles, have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the house tops, and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny, and not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father. But even the herrs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my father who is in heaven. The gospel of the Lord. This section of Mark's Gospel, it began last week with the calling of the twelve apostles and giving them authority to work for the kingdom of heaven. Remember how we can use the name Matthew, the tax collector, to help us name them ourselves. So you've got M-A-T-T, M for Matthew, A for Andrew, T for Thomas, and T for Thaddeus, followed by four J's, James, James the last, John and Judas. And then we've got the leader, Peter and Bartholomew, who probably should be at the front. And as a final PS, Philip and Simon the Zealot. The job these men were called to do was not easy. Jesus knew the difficulties from his own experience. In fact, he told them that he was sending them out like sheep among wolves, which is a disturbing and scary image. I'm sure the apostles knew the faith of the Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah. Jeremiah said he could hear whisperings about terror on every side as people watch for him to fall or make a mistake. So knowing that that discipleship is difficult occupation, Jesus told his team to beware of those who would attack them, but not to be afraid of them, and especially not to hold back. Instead, Jesus gave them the courage to proclaim his message from the housetops. Father Nicholas King says it's like the football managers at the World Cup giving the team a pepper talk before the next most uh important game of the competition. In fact, it was said that Thomas Touche has made a really formidable uh exhortation in the face of the enormity of the task the England team had to face at halftime against Croatia. He told them to be brave and create something special if they want to reach the final playoff. Jesus gives a similar three full plea to the apostles, not to be afraid of the opposition. He didn't just have compassion for the crowds of the lost sheep. Jesus has compassion for his disciples then and now who are sent out to face the opposition. Jesus in this passage from Matthew anticipated the kind of hostile opposition and persecution that would be put upon the apostles. But they're assured of the divine care which we see as the marker of the forbearance and courage. This is the gift needed to overcome our fears to follow in their footsteps. Jesus must have known that his apostles were very much afraid of the task he was setting before them. The gift of courage can come from the way a loved one treats us when the words they say and their manner in addressing our fears, the leadership that they give us encourages us to go on, despite the opposition. Jesus knows that this trust is a two-way process, and that his support for his disciples in carrying out the task of following him would never dwindle. In fact, he would take it to the highest of authorities that they would have the full, almighty backing of his father's love too, as they proclaim his kingdom. Disciples today also have an important part to play in the spreading of the good news and can and can be assured of the same encouragement and backing. Jesus wasn't just concerned with proclaiming God's kingdom to a people confined to the lost sheep of Israel. This was the starting point, extending from the Gentiles and Samaritans of two thousand years ago to the groups spoken today in Pope Leo's recent visit to Spain. From the very beginning it's been the work of the Holy Spirit to clarify the actions of Jesus and the apostles revealed to us in the Word of God, spoken through the Scriptures, and developing these through tradition and successive popes, we're given the power to translate the literal into the spiritual. The reflection of centuries brings Jesus' message to our own present time and the needs of today. Pope Leo said to the Spanish Parliament The world is undergoing a profound spiritual and cultural crisis which manifests in the multiple forms of violence, polarization, and mutual distrust. Baptized Christians today are in need of the courage symbolized in the Oil of Catechum to speak out against these multiple forms of violence, polarization, and mutual distrust. As much today in countries like Spain, England and France as was needed in the Roman world of Jesus. The work of Paul Leo is similar to the work of the Apostles. He is proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom of heaven and the need for courage for all who witness to belonging to Christ. Paul Leo has just completed the largest public event of his pontificate in Madrid during the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. When he began his apostolic journey to Spain, he said he had come to affirm, encourage, and instill a renewed fidelity to the gospel. And he did this in front of 1.2 million at the Plata de Fibales. We will need all this encouragement if we are not to be afraid of identifying with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone, and in helping the forsaken in a world that thinks this to be of little concern, particularly during the World Cup.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

I have heard my people cross of sin. I will say I have the stars of life. I will make the darkness price.