HOMILY FOR TWELFTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (A)

Fr Billy Swan

Dear friends. During the pandemic six years ago, a phrase we exchanged often, saw on posters, Facebook pages and notices was ‘STAY SAFE’. Of course, this was understandable given the dangerous times we were in.

However, when we see Jesus sending out his disciples on mission in the Gospel today, he does not tell them to ‘STAY SAFE’. In fact, he tells them the very opposite. He predicts that they will not be safe. He warns them that they will suffer for being faithful to him and his Word. Some of them will lose their lives. Remarkably, having said this, he urges them not to be afraid of death because the loss of their lives is not the worst fate that can happen to them: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell’. Sobering words indeed.

It is important here to clarify that Jesus is not calling for a reckless behaviour without regard for health and safety. Rather, he is telling us that if we are faithful to him and his Gospel, then we will inevitably share something of the experience of Jeremiah in today’s First Reading and meet opposition, ridicule and suffering. Notice that this prophetic witness does not mean deliberately look for conflict, much less provoke it. It does mean, however, that there are times when the consequences of holding certain values and beliefs will mean that suffering will be inevitable. This was the example of Jesus himself, who suffered and died for the truth he stood for and as a prophet.

So, in Ireland today, what examples are there of prophetic stances that draw the ridicule and anger of many. One is standing up for the dignity and rights of vulnerable migrants in towns that are hostile to their presence. Another is standing up for social justice among the rich and privileged. We think of people like St Oscar Romero in El Salvador. Or standing up for marriage and chastity in an increasingly permissive culture. Lastly, we can expect opposition for insisting that all human life has value from conception until natural death.

Today is the annual Day for Life, celebrated by the Bishops’ Conferences of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It is day to celebrate the gift of life that includes a call to protect it, especially life that is most vulnerable. The topics of abortion and euthanasia are sensitive as we all know but fear of engaging with them is no reason for the Church to stay silent. These issues must be faced with courage and we as the Church must not lose our prophetic voice, especially given the events in Dail Eireann in the past week.

One man who is certainly not silent on the topic of defending life is our Holy Father Pope Leo. To the Spanish Parliament on 8^th June, he said:

‘The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization.  Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence…For this reason, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile.”

This link between the increasing liberalisation of abortion and civilization, is seen in the statistics that don’t lie. Before the 8^th amendment was repealed in May 2018, there were about 3,500 Irish abortions each year. In 2024, that number rose to a shocking 10,852 whose lives ended.  This enormous human tragedy is the equivalent of 300 classes of primary school children.  Abortion doesn’t just end lives.  It deprives communities all over Ireland of thousands of happy, laughing children. It will lead to an unrecognisable cultural landscape in families and communities including the closure of schools who don’t have the numbers to keep them open.

Yet our approach as Church must be faithful to that of Jesus who urged us to stand firm on our values and be prepared to suffer for them. At the same time, we must always be calm, consistent, clear, patient and always be understanding, compassionate and be prepared to listen and enter into the pain and the fears of the other person who sees things differently.

As we mark the annual ‘Day for Life’ this Sunday, we commit ourselves again to choosing life, celebrating life and protecting it. In a world that is sometimes hostile to the Christian faith as we see from Christian persecution, may our greatest desire not be to ‘STAY SAFE’ but rather to be faithful to the Lord and the Gospel.