12th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Father's Day

June 20 - 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Father's Day
Jeremiah 20:10-13 / Psalm 69:8-10,14,17,33-35 / Romans 5:12-15 / Matthew 10:26-33

INTRODUCTION - Something About Father's Day

Before discussing the message from the Scriptures today, it is probably important to say something about the secular celebration of Father's Day. While our culture finds much sentiment, expressed in verse and song for mothers, it does seem that fathers are sometimes cast to the side. The most noble of men find no insult in this, particularly in their children's devotion to their mothers, because it confirms their good fortune and judgment in finding a companion for life. However, it does behoove us to spend a moment pondering upon the value of the man's role in the family.

I overheard a woman once say to her friend, "What do I need a husband for, I got my babies and that's all I wanted." The statement startled me; it even made me ill inside. The man was reduced to a good time boy or to a sperm donor. What a monstrous notion! Many good and loving women know the true joy in having a special friend in their husbands. Spouses can share their lives, with all their joys and sorrows, knowing that they are not alone. They can also be helpmates in becoming saints. Together, they can raise a family. There are too many fatherless homes. Some cities have made it the rule and the complete family, the exception. A mother is the heart of a home. Is it so terrible that a father might be its head? The fragmentation of family life continues. How can we possibly teach young people about the fatherhood of God if such a role is not modeled in the home and in our society? Fathers are special people and are not dispensable.

Big Brother programs came into existence precisely because there was a need for a fathering role among the young. Some fathers die, and we need to know that their love and prayers are not diminished by death. Some are cast out, and we need to be sympathetic to men denied their rights as parents. Other men run away from their responsibilities, impoverishing their families and denying themselves the joy of participating with God and their wives in nurturing the fruit of marital love-- children. The role of St. Joseph as foster father to Christ, chaste husband of Mary, and protector of the Church may be a religious corrective in this regard. Let us esteem and cultivate the prophetic courage of fathers that shows us something of the face of God.

BODY- Prophetic Witness No Matter What the Cost

Given only a small passage, the first reading might make us think that the prophet Jeremiah has something of a persecution complex; however, the oppression he feels is real. No sooner had he warned the people of a coming judgment from the Lord, because of their disobedience and neglect of God, the priest Pashhur had him arrested and scourged. Upon his release from the stocks, he is compelled by his mission to continue his prophecy. He gives the credit for his persistence against mockery and abuse, not to his own fortitude and strength, but to the Lord whose message "becomes like fire burning in my heart." The phrase, "Terror on every side," reiterates that Pashhur and the people who have rejected his message will share the fate of doomed Jerusalem. Jeremiah contrasts the betrayal of his friends with the steadfastness of God. God's prerogatives will not be circumvented.

The psalm is another testimonial in just how far the love of God might take us. "For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face. I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother's sons, because zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me." God comes first and last. This should be a sentiment for us all. However, there are many temptations to such a courageous stand. The greatest of these is our desire for the acceptance of others, especially of family and friends. Jews saw their fellowship with one another and the intimacy of their families as central to their lives. However, the readings remind us all that the most important relationship is with God. If this fundamental association is compromised, then all the rest becomes a sham and we invite destruction. This is still very much the case. Peer pressure or the false prophets of popular media often sway young people. The rest of us sometimes surrender our good standing with God behind small deceits and the disproportionate attraction to material things and comfort. Toleration and peace can become a sham if behind them there is a disregard for the poor and the dignity of human life.

Are we prophets like Jeremiah or priests like Pashhur? Do we seek to silence the voice of the prophets among us? Such questions we must ask ourselves. Several years ago, a priest friend of mine in Georgia decided that he was going to integrate his church instead of operating two facilities, one for whites and the other for blacks. When he tried to do so, the collection plummeted, threatening phone calls rang at all hours, and letters poured into the chancery office. The situation became so dangerous that he was reassigned to a teaching post in another diocese. The experience wounded him deeply and yet he knew it was the right thing and what God wanted. I know a loving nurse who was harassed and finally lost her position in a teaching hospital because she refused to assist in abortions. She knew she had no other choice as a Catholic and as a true believer in Jesus, and yet, it cost her what she most wanted out of life. Many more stories about the prophets in our midst could be told. Will we add our own stories to theirs? Will we see something of our story in Jesus Christ who embraced the cross to save us despite the mockery of our sins and the scourging of our infidelity?

The second reading draws to our attention precisely this: that through one man (Adam) sin and death entered the world while through another, Christ (the new Adam), grace and life. Jeremiah and all the Old Testament prophets could warn their people and even suffer at their hands for them, however, unlike Jesus, they could not utterly redeem them. The ancient prophecy, repeated time and time again, is fulfilled in Christ. "Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!"

Jesus admonishes his disciples to follow his example and that of the ancient prophets: "Do not let men intimidate you." He promises that whoever avows him before others, his Father will claim in heaven. What more could we want? And yet, so often we allow the problems and the pressures of the day to master us.

CONCLUSION - Love or Intimidation?

It has been suggested that intimidation and/or manipulation are precisely the tools of sin and the relationship of devils. If there is no genuine love, what other cohesive force is there to control? C. S. Lewis paints an image in his writings of big devils that literally eat the lesser ones-- in other words, they use them to their own advantage without regard to their personhood and rights. Sometimes we might paint a picture of God's justice that falsely falls into such a category. Hellfire images that threaten damnation from a wrathful God are a case in point. A fear of the loss of heaven and of suffering the fires of hell is a real tragedy. However, what compounds it is the fact that people chose this fate for themselves more than it emerging from any divine imposition. The prophets and our Lord were willing to endure any hardship for the saving message they deliver. Did they do this out of fear of almighty God or out of love? The answer is love. Perhaps this brings us back to something of the secular celebration, Father's Day? A true parent does not abuse or lie or manipulate children. Rather, he or she speaks the truth, even when it is unpopular, and makes every sacrifice to insure the well being of the family. May we all be imitators of God and speak with his voice.

ASIDES

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a disease and needed a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in the bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor, he thought he was going to have to give Liza all of his blood.

Untitled (Anonymous)