For 21 June 2026, The 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, based on Matthew 10:26-33, sent in from St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
(image from https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209644753/posts/10154265276159754/)
Jesus said to the twelve, “Therefore do not be afraid of anyone. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
————
I am a big fan of the Virtues Project, a thirty-year-old project of the Baha’i community in Canada and a global initiative to inspire people of all religions and cultures to remember who we humans really are and to live by our highest values. I thought of the Virtues Project recently when Pope Leo issued his encyclical titled Magnificent Humanity. When we human beings embody the magnificent instincts of the human heart—the virtues of faith, hope, and love, which direct our hearts to God, and the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage, which orient us to be our best selves with one another—we truly show ourselves to be created in the image and likeness of God.
For a long list of virtues, I encourage you to spend time at https://www.virtuesproject.com , both to celebrate the virtues that best describe your strength of character and to identify virtues to which you, your family, and your community can aspire for further growth in the image and likeness of God.
For today, I think we can focus on the virtue of Courage, which, according to the Virtues Project, is that quality of character which “transforms fear into determination, embracing life fully, without holding back, doing what must be done even when it is difficult or risky.”
In today’s gospel passage from Chapter 10 of Matthew, Jesus says to the disciples, “Have no fear of anyone…. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
O God, transform our fear into determination, so that we can embrace life fully without holding back and do what must be done even when it is difficult or risky. We want to be courageous, to give witness to your goodness, truth, and love, and to live from the magnificent wellsprings of our divinely created humanity. We want your gift of courage to transform our fear.
We pray with the Church in the words of the Opening Prayer for today’s Mass: “Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance
those you set firm on the foundation of your love.”
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
About Gregory Heille, O.P.
Gregory Heille, O.P.a is a member of the Dominican Central Province USA, and a longstanding promoter of preaching in both the Order and the Academy. He is available as a preacher and as a coach or facilitator for ongoing preaching formation.
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21 Jun 2026
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(image from https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209644753/posts/10154265276159754/)
Jesus said to the twelve, “Therefore do not be afraid of anyone. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
————
I am a big fan of the Virtues Project, a thirty-year-old project of the Baha’i community in Canada and a global initiative to inspire people of all religions and cultures to remember who we humans really are and to live by our highest values. I thought of the Virtues Project recently when Pope Leo issued his encyclical titled Magnificent Humanity. When we human beings embody the magnificent instincts of the human heart—the virtues of faith, hope, and love, which direct our hearts to God, and the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage, which orient us to be our best selves with one another—we truly show ourselves to be created in the image and likeness of God.
For a long list of virtues, I encourage you to spend time at https://www.virtuesproject.com , both to celebrate the virtues that best describe your strength of character and to identify virtues to which you, your family, and your community can aspire for further growth in the image and likeness of God.
For today, I think we can focus on the virtue of Courage, which, according to the Virtues Project, is that quality of character which “transforms fear into determination, embracing life fully, without holding back, doing what must be done even when it is difficult or risky.”
In today’s gospel passage from Chapter 10 of Matthew, Jesus says to the disciples, “Have no fear of anyone…. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
O God, transform our fear into determination, so that we can embrace life fully without holding back and do what must be done even when it is difficult or risky. We want to be courageous, to give witness to your goodness, truth, and love, and to live from the magnificent wellsprings of our divinely created humanity. We want your gift of courage to transform our fear.
We pray with the Church in the words of the Opening Prayer for today’s Mass: “Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance
those you set firm on the foundation of your love.”
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
About Gregory Heille, O.P.
Gregory Heille, O.P.a is a member of the Dominican Central Province USA, and a longstanding promoter of preaching in both the Order and the Academy. He is available as a preacher and as a coach or facilitator for ongoing preaching formation.