21 June 2020
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today is the twelfth Sunday in Ordinary time. The Last time we had an ordinary time Sunday was in February, which seems like years ago. Things have hardly been “ordinary” as of late and although we all enjoy a bit of excitement, “ordinary” would be a welcome relief. It was 80 years ago this week, June 18, 1940, that Winston Churchill delivered his famous talk to the British house of commons after the capitulation of France to Nazi Germany. In this speech, Churchill rallied the English people, noting that the decisions and the course that they would take provided the possibility that history would mark this time of crisis as their finest hour. Although the United States is not being invaded by a foreign force, our country is torn apart by issues which have hit us full force. The anniversary of Churchill’s message comes back to us today with the challenge that this too can be our “finest hour,” in the face of a multitude of challenges. In today’s gospel, Jesus admonishes his disciples not to be afraid, a saying that became the hallmark of the Papacy of John Paul II. Lack of fear does not imply being foolish, but it does require a bit of bravery to face the tasks ahead. Fear sends its victims hiding and cowering, and that will not work today, just as it was not an option for England in 1940. There are no easy answers to facing the issues that press upon us and I am not a friend to simplistic slogans, except the ones my father told me (after all, it is Father’s Day). Here is one piece of advice he and countless other fathers gave their children when they got to an intersection: stop, look, and listen. So often, crises push us quickly and force immediate reactions. As we stand before the confusion of traffic that recent events have placed us, we can recall the advice of our dads in that we move forward after stopping, observing and listening.