12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – June 21st, 2020

At first glance, today’s readings can seem a bit intimidating – persecution, betrayal, fear, and “fiery Gehenna!” A closer look, however, reveals some beautiful lessons about how to endure suffering in this life with peace and even joy.

In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah is revealed not only as a righteous Israelite, but also as a type of the suffering Christ. In the face of betrayal and persecution for preaching God’s word, he puts all his confidence in the Lord and even sings a hymn of praise in the midst of his trial. What is the source of such inner strength? Jeremiah, and in an even more perfect way, Jesus, chose to stand on the fact that all comes to us from God. It takes a radical faith to say that God will bring not just good, but a greater good, out of every evil. However, we see over and over again in the lives of the saints how making this “leap of faith” – one that every Christian is called to make – results in extraordinary courage and peace. Think of St. Ignatius of Antioch rejoicing at his impending death in the arena, or St. Paul of the Cross repeatedly extolling the Will of God in the midst of his own sufferings, or St. Teresa Benedicta calmly lending help and comfort to others as she was deported to Auschwitz. All of them stood on the same foundation as Jeremiah – and on yet a firmer Rock, Jesus Christ Himself, Whose Passion gives us hope and strength in our own trials.

But most of us aren’t facing plotting enemies or imminent martyrdom, so how does Jeremiah’s experience apply to us in everyday life? One Sister shared some beautiful reflections on how our First Reading can serve as a model for responding to the universal experience of spiritual desolation – dryness, discouragement, and temptations to abandon prayer. Such feelings can often seem all-consuming, filling us with “terror on every side” and threatening to overwhelm our spiritual lives. “But The Lord is with [us], like a mighty champion,” even when we cannot feel His presence. As a matter of fact, by permitting us to undergo such struggles, He “probes [our] mind and heart,” proving and purifying our love for Him.

A Sister also spoke about some of the deeper spiritual meaning behind that often-dreaded passage in today’s Gospel: “Nothing is secret that will not be made known.” We often feel uncomfortable when we read this; after all, most people would rather not have their secrets “made known” to the whole world! But Sister took a totally different approach. Christ has revealed to us that our sufferings willingly endured on earth are enormously powerful, but only in eternity will we see the full truth of this statement. The “secret” of redemptive suffering will “be made known” in the glory of Heaven!

And this leads us to a final principle for carrying our crosses in this world well: placing our hope in Heaven. Even faithful Christians can sometimes become “practical secularists,” living as if this world is all that there is. But even if we have all the good things the world can provide, we will still never find our “happy ending” here below. Our hearts are made for something much, much greater: the eternal, face-to-face vision of God! If we keep in mind that Heaven is our true homeland, we will be less troubled when we face suffering on earth. After all, this life is simply a “proving ground,” a place to prepare our souls for eternity, and so trials can actually be a joy when they enable us to draw closer to our final goal of total self-gift to God.