OMELIE / Omelie EN

25 giu 2023

25/06/2023 - 12th Sunday in O.T. - year A

25/06/2023 - 12^th Sunday in O.T. - year A

Reading 1 GER 20,10-13 Psalm 68 Reading 2 ROM 5,12-15 Gospel MT 10,26-33

Every now and then we hear news of Churches and Christians that are persecuted. Many brothers of ours, only because they are Christians, find themselves in danger to lose their life or in a situation of exclusion. This happens in almost all countries where the majority of the citizens are following another religion. But this is also happening in some places more familiar to us, whre it is not possible to define themselves Christians without being sidelined, ignored, silenced.

Certainly you too have lived some times in which you have been ridiculed or avoided because of your faith in Jesus, or you have given in to the temptation to keep silent or to hide your identity in order not to be labelled as proud or bigoted or fanatic, and instead you only wanted to live the love for your Lord and enrich your environment with its fruit. Well, we are not surprised. The Lord Himself had warned us. He knew from the Scriptures that the just is unjustly accused and tested by those who feel reproached by his behaviour, as today’s first reading says, and as many episodes from the history of salvation let us understand.

Abel, because he was God’s friend, was envied by his older brother, rejected and killed. Jacob’s sons have envied and hated their little brother Joseph to the point they sold him as a slave, despite the suffering this would have caused their father. Saul tried many times to kill David, despite having been benefited by him and despite knowing he was enjoying God’s favour. They who are faithful to God do not have to be afraid of what men do against him. They need to carry on with their faithfulness, which turns out to everyone’s advantage, as Joseph’s faithfulness to God, after being sold by the brothers, has become salvation for them and many others.

To remain faithful in the persecution is not easy, never! This is why Jesus is talking about it clearly and decisively. The persecution and the rejection is always happening to Him: if it is directed to us it is because of Him, or of that life and holiness received from Him.

Jesus reassures us of the Father’s love, who does not forget His children as He does not forget the sparrows. Nothing escapes His gaze, not even the destiny of our hair, even if they are the least important thing of the body, so He recommends us not to be afraid. Even if the persecutors managed to kill our body, they would not be able to take charge of our soul and make it die.

Our love is stronger than death and so our attachment to Him. Our salvation is assured, if we recognise Jesus as our savior, if we recognise Him in front of the men, so publicly. It is important we are His witnesses, if we do not hide the richness of His life and the wisdom of His presence. He needs to be announced to everyone, because He is the Father’s love for the whole world.

It is thanks to Jesus that God’s grace is poured over all men, sinners, because they are born on the path of Adam’s disobedience. Without Him nobody could break free from sin and be freed from the consequences of death. So we joyfully announce Jesus, Lord and savior of the world, even to the cost of experience injustices and withstanding sufferings: this is the only way to fully fulfill our life, our love for the whole world!

The first reading is ending with this invitation from the prophet Jeremiah: «Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked». We ourselves are witnesses of this freedom. We have been freed from fear of death thanks to Jesus’s resurrection, our Lord. And we are also tools for the freedom of many brethren of ours, who can see our joy and serenity and listen to our words of praise to Jesus. They who were listening to Jeremiah knew how much he had suffered for his faith and hid obedience to God. If he was singing for joy and was praising the Lord, then how much more I would do so and we would do it all together, because we are sure of winning by withstanding the offenses and insults of the men. Thanks to our patience they too will be able to repent and become our brothers!