12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A (June 21, 2026)

There’s a story of a five-year-old boy who was visiting his grandmother’s house when a fierce thunderstorm broke out. The rain came down in sheets. The wind howled through the trees. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by rolling thunder that seemed to shake the ground itself.

When it was time to go home, his father walked outside wearing a large overcoat and called to him.

“Son, come here.” The father wrapped the coat around the boy and together they stepped into the storm.

Under that coat, the child could see nothing. He could not see the road. He could not see the rain. He could not see where they were going. But he was not afraid. He knew his father could see. So he simply held on and trusted him.

A few moments later, the coat opened, and they were home.

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus called his apostles by name and sent them out into the world. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” he told them. “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.”

It was a bold mission. And it remains our mission today.

Jesus knows that discipleship is not always easy. In this Sunday’s Gospel – and continuing into next Sunday – he speaks honestly about the cost of following him. Yet alongside that challenge comes a powerful reassurance:

Fear no one.

The words echo throughout today’s Gospel like a refrain.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Our world can often feel like a storm. We are surrounded by angry voices, harsh rhetoric, hurtful social media, and acts of violence born of prejudice and fear. Sometimes it can be difficult to witness to the Gospel when faith itself is dismissed, mocked, or misunderstood.

The prophet Jeremiah knew that feeling well. In the First Reading he laments: “Terror on every side! All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.”

Yet Jeremiah refuses to let fear have the final word. He immediately proclaims: “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion.”

That same confidence is offered to us.

As disciples of Jesus, we are not called to answer hatred with hatred or anger with anger. We proclaim the Gospel most convincingly through lives marked by kindness, compassion, mercy, and courage. The world may be noisy, but Christ invites us to remain faithful.

Like the little boy walking through the storm beneath his father’s coat, we may not always see the road ahead. The winds may howl around us. The thunder may rumble in the distance.

But we do not walk alone. The One who calls us is the One who guides us.

Even when we cannot see the road ahead, we can trust the One who leads us home.