The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]
Jeremiah 20:10-13 + Romans 5:12-15 + Matthew 10:26-33
June 21, 2026
The Bible can be overwhelming. But there’s an old saying by Pope St. Gregory the Great that offers hope.
The Bible “is… a kind of river… both shallow and deep, wherein both the lamb may find a footing, and the elephant float at large.”[1] God’s Word makes His Love clear both to the simple and to the profound.
However, sometimes we expect more of ourselves than God does when it comes to His holy Word. Jesus does not ask you, as His disciple, to memorize entire passages of the Bible. He does not ask you to learn the names of all the books of the Bible. He asks you instead to listen to Him when He speaks to you through His written Word.
But what is the chief setting where God speaks His Word to you? It’s commendable if you read the Bible privately each day. But that’s not the chief setting in which God means for His written Word to enter your life. It’s commendable if you participate in a Scripture study group, like the one held here this past Lent. But that’s not the chief setting in which God means for His written Word to enter your life.
The chief setting in which God means for you to hear His written Word is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Passages, verses, and phrases from the Bible are proclaimed all throughout the Mass. For example, shortly before receiving Holy Communion, the priest holds up the Sacred Host. Then he says, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”
The first part of that acclamation is from the first chapter of St. John the Evangelist’s Gospel account. St. John the Baptist proclaims those words as he points out Jesus.[2] The latter part is from the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, also written by St. John the Evangelist. St. John in this verse records an angel describing Heaven as “the supper of the Lamb.”[3]
What about the next words at Mass, which the entire congregation speaks? Those words echo the cry of the centurion to Jesus in the eighth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel. The centurion speaks about Jesus healing his servant, but you and I speak about Jesus healing our soul by receiving Holy Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”[4]
The celebration of Holy Mass is filled with example after example of verses and phrases taken from the Bible. They’re woven into the fabric of the Mass so seamlessly that it’s easy to forget that they come from the Bible.
More directly taken from the Bible are the antiphons and readings of the Mass. Some missalettes and hymnals do not include the antiphons in their pages. This is in spite of the fact that the antiphons, unlike hymns, are specifically assigned by the Church to each Sunday. The antiphons are very helpful to helping us appreciate God’s Word, for a reason I’ll circle back to in a few moments.
All of the Scripture readings at Mass follow a progression, building up to the Gospel Reading. We stand for the Gospel because Jesus Himself speaks and acts directly, for us to learn from and to be inspired by.
In this Sunday’s Gospel Reading, we hear from the tenth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel account. The whole passage is Jesus speaking to His Twelve Apostles, and consists of ten sentences. The challenge in hearing and pondering this passage is that there’s so much to take in. This is the biggest challenge for most Christians: not to be overwhelmed by the Bible. This is one reason that the Church, as a good mother, portions the Scriptures for Sunday Mass over three years.
When we’re considering a given Sunday’s Scripture readings, there’s a simple practice that can help keep us from being overwhelmed. When you are listening to or reading God’s written word in Sacred Scripture, pray to the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to, and to focus your attention upon, one particular part of God’s written Word. It may be a single verse, or it may be a phrase, or it may even be a single word within a verse.
This is why the antiphons of the Mass—the Entrance Antiphon, Offertory Antiphon, and Communion Antiphon—are helpful. They’re very brief, and because of their brevity, they’re easy to focus on. But with the Holy Spirit’s help, you can focus on a single verse, or phrase, or even a single word within any Reading at Mass.
This past week as I read and re-read this Sunday’s Scripture readings, one verse stood out. It’s from Jesus’ words to the Apostles in the Gospel Reading: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.” How does Jesus speak to you and me through these words?
One point that stands out is the humility that Jesus’ words evoke. He explains that if someone acknowledges Him before others, He will acknowledge that person before before God the Father. Conversely, if someone does not acknowledge Jesus before others, He will not acknowledge that person before before God the Father.
One way to reflect upon any given verse, phrase, or word of Scripture is to hold it up in the light of other similar scripture passages. In the case of Jesus’ words about acknowledging Him, a passage from the Sermon on the Mount sheds some light. This passage is actually going to be proclaimed at weekday Mass this coming Thursday.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares:
“‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?” Then I will declare to them solemnly, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.”’”[5]
Jesus is very specific here about His reason for saying about someone, “I never knew you.” The reason is that someone not carrying out the will of God the Father. This drives home the hard truth that you cannot coast through life thinking that being baptized will guarantee your salvation. Doing the will of Jesus’ Father is key.
That relates directly to Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel Reading: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.” God the Father wills that you acknowledge Jesus before others.
Each of you must pray and discern for yourself how this ought to be taking place in your lives. What are the places, and the circumstances, and the ways in which God is calling you to acknowledge Jesus before others? Faith in Christ is not authentic if it’s only private, hidden from others. Each of you must pray and discern for yourself about the places, the circumstances, and the ways in which God is calling you to acknowledge Jesus before others.
[1] Saint Gregory The Great, Moralia in Job, Prefatory Letter to Leander of Seville, IV [https://www.ecatholic2000.com/job/untitled-05.shtml].
[2] John 1:29.
[3] Revelation 19:9.
[4] Cf. Matthew 8:8.
[5] Matthew 7:21-23.
Reflections on the Sacred Liturgy 