Homily for Twelfth Sunday of the Year - 21 June 2026

Even the hairs of your head are numbered

Being a disciple of Jesus necessarily means that we are sent, that we are on mission. I wonder just how many Christians have a sense of their mission in the world. Faith and religious practice is meant to be more than just my own interests and the interests of those closest to me. This might be called the tragedy of a privatised religion, which might focus only on a personal relationship with God without understanding the need to proclaim the Gospel, to make the world a better place, and to build up the Kingdom of God.

Last week we heard about Jesus choosing the Twelve apostles and sending them out on mission. This week Jesus addresses the Twelve in a very straightforward way about the opposition they will encounter on the mission he is giving them. These words were recorded by Matthew for future disciples, that is us, whose lot will be the same.

Of course, discipleship and a personal relationship with God is at the core, and it will always be the necessary starting point, but to grow and develop as disciples is to embrace the missionary dimension of what it means to follow Jesus. As Pope St Paul VI put it, “The person who has been evangelized goes on to evangelize others.”

Being a disciple of Jesus

Remember that a disciple is someone who has encountered Jesus, heard the Good News of his life, death and resurrection, and chooses to actively follow him. And a missionary disciple is one who continues to grow in relationship with God, can easily share his or her relationship with God with others, and goes out to help others find God for themselves. The distinguishing factor is the outward movement. The missionary disciple doesn't just receive and grow, but actively communicates, shares, invites, and goes out to others to give what they have experienced.

Perhaps we might feel inadequate or ill-equipped for the task of mission. Well, … look at those first disciples of Jesus whom he sent out. They were mostly illiterate, simple fishermen. One was a political activist, and one would become a traitor. In what sense could we really say that we haven’t got what it takes compared to them?

Perhaps what might deter us is the inevitability of opposition which we will face as people sent out to proclaim the Gospel into the situations we face. Disciples of Jesus will always be a sign of contradiction in the same way that Jeremiah was, as we hear in the first reading, and in the same way that Jesus and his first disciples were. In fact, if we as Christians never encounter any opposition, it might well be an indication of our lack of impact on the world around us and a reflection on the quality of our discipleship.

Building the City of God

As Pope Leo puts it in his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, drawing on an image from St Augustine’s work, City of God. At any given time, each of us are either building the earthly city, the Tower of Babel, or we are rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the City of God. To build the City of God is to be salt and light in the world; it is to make the world a better place; it is to share the greatest good with others, that is Jesus Christ. Essential to this mission of building the City of God, is recognising, proclaiming and defending the dignity of every human person. It is about living this truth and putting it into practice, it is about speaking out and speaking for those who do not have a voice.

The prophet Jeremiah was speaking into a situation of great despair in Israel. The Babylonians were on the point of conquering Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was prophesying the disaster that would befall Israel. His message was not well-received and he was denounced and rejected. Even those who in former times were his friends, now wanted his downfall. Jeremiah’s mission to be a prophet earned him scorn and suffering. But into this threat Jeremiah is able to discern God’s protective help. He knows that God will not allow his enemies to succeed. He praises God for his care for the one in need, and protection of the vulnerable from those who do evil.

In what way is the dire situation that Israel was facing, like our own in these times, both the personal circumstances of our lives and the situation we face as a country and as a world? Can we identify with the experience of Jeremiah who faces an inner struggle with his vocation and suffers persecution, despite his faithfulness to God. What hope do we need in these days. Let’s allow the word of God to comfort, challenge, bring about growth, and give us hope.

What sufferings run through the world’s peoples today

It is noteworthy that Pope Leo has called a special meeting of the cardinals for later this week and the essential questions that he wants the cardinals to engage can be said to be a summary of the concern of every Christian. The questions are, ‘What sufferings run through the world’s peoples today?’, and ‘What signs of hope are there?’ Pope Leo shows us that to follow Jesus is to be intimately concerned about the people around us.

Jesus speaks of difficulty and persecution for his followers. We, who by baptism, are missionaries and prophets, face the challenges of our time. Think of the issues of poverty and unemployment, xenophobia and the threats against immigrants and refugees, bereavement, financial troubles, and many others.

How can we be like Jeremiah who was faithful to his mission, even in very difficult circumstances? How can we be followers of Jesus in the here and now, growing in our discipleship and nurturing hope?

It is not for nothing that Jesus mentions ‘fear’ four times in this short passage. Let’s be honest and say that there is much at this time to make us fearful. Jesus calls on us to fear not. The human condition is given to angst and fear, and God who values us more than sparrows speaks words of hope and courage into our lives.

Even the hairs of your head

The comforting words of Jesus in today’s Gospel, are the key: “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” We are also told that even sparrows which are regarded as virtually worthless, do not fall to the ground without the Father’s will, … and we are worth far more than many sparrows. This is a great image of God’s love for us personally. Our hope is kindled in contemplating this love of God for each of us.

Our mission as prophetic disciples is to witness to Jesus before others today, in deed and word. We don’t have to have all the answers or convince everyone. Everything will be revealed and known in God’s time.

The instruction of Jesus not to fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, can be interpreted for this time. Our belonging to God, means that the difficulties we face as missionary disciples do not remove us from the Father’s care. Jesus identifies with us before the Father. We can be faithful disciples. We can hold onto hope. As St Paul says in the second reading for today, “the grace of God … in Jesus Christ” has been given to us.