The Courage to Witness!

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 20: 10-13; Rom 5: 12-15; Mt 10: 26-33

The twelfth Sunday invites us to pray for and develop the courage to witness to the Lord. 

The word ‘courage’ means that it is oriented towards a specific purpose, like standing up to an injustice, or the determination to speak the truth, or to suffer for something right, etc., and hence, the word is never used emptily. Viewed thus, for a Christian, having courage means offering testimony to the Lord. 

The readings help us understand what courage means for a Christian. 

The first reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah highlights that the prophet endured hardship, persecution, and oppression for speaking God’s truth to the people. When Jeremiah foretold the disasters and destruction that awaited God’s people because of their stubborn refusal to believe in God and walk in His ways, they only decided to persecute the Lord’s prophet rather than heed his words and amend their ways. It is amid such betrayal and persecution that Jeremiah shows faith and determination in God’s everlasting goodness towards him. Though he was nicknamed ‘The Weeping/Wailing Prophet,’ being forced to live constantly in the midst of terror and danger, Jeremiah could feel the Divine providence holding him up. Jeremiah’s life reminds us that we are never alone in our sufferings and God will vindicate us. In sum, Prophet Jeremiah’s life is a powerful example of the fact that God’s nearness and accompaniment help us develop the courage to witness to His love.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us of our redeemed nature through the blood of Christ. If Jesus abolished sin and death that entered the world through Adam’s fall, how do we make sense of the privilege of being redeemed by Jesus’ blood? In essence, Paul means that we must make use of our privilege to witness to the name of Jesus. We have been saved by the blood of Christ for a reason, and that is to offer witness to his glory. Thus, while Paul reminds us of our blessing and privilege, he directs us towards the responsibility of witnessing to the Lord. 

The Gospel calls us to witness to the name of Christ by ‘acknowledging him before others.’ Witnessing to Jesus’ name needs courage because the one who stays loyal to Jesus is likely to encounter problems as all his emissaries did in the past. The trials and tribulations of a Christian will not just be ordinary in nature, because at times, they could even be fatal. This is why Jesus encourages his twelve apostles that they should not be afraid of ‘those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.’ Here, a Christian needs to choose between staying faithful to the Lord and facing death and choosing the temporary life to lose it in eternity. In other words, Jesus wants us to choose between dying for the sake of living forever and choosing not to die only to postpone death temporarily. We must remember that it is unwise to renounce God and suffer eternal separation. In sum, standing with Jesus is to give glory to God, though it may happen at the cost of our lives.

The Gospel call to witness reminds us of the testing times for the Indian Church. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has called for a nationwide observance of a National Day of Prayer on June 28, urging Catholics across the country to pray for the nation, democratic freedoms, and the Church’s mission of service amid growing concerns over the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill (FCRA) 2026. 

Though Indian Christians are a religious minority, their institutional presence and the sheer breadth of their mission are amazing. With 54,000 educational institutions, 20,000 hospitals, and numerous social service societies across the length and breadth of this country, the institutional strength of Indian Christianity makes it the largest service provider, only next to the Indian government itself. Despite the centuries of committed and selfless mission that transcend the barriers of caste, religion, language, region, and culture, it is very sad and unfortunate that Indian Christians should always prove their loyalty to the country, while our mission and faith practice have been constantly hindered either through bureaucratic channels or atrocities on the ground. The Indian Church needs God’s abundant grace to wade through the challenges to her faith and presence and hold on to the Lord ever more faithfully.

Jesus helps us with the distinction between physical and spiritual deaths. While we cannot avoid a physical death, we can never afford to suffer a spiritual death, which results from renouncing God out of fear of death. 

Let us pray for grace to bear fearless witness to the Lord throughout our lives.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar