I Vangeli per le Famiglie - XII Domenica - Anno A - "Credere nella Provvidenza" - 21/06/2026

www.chiesadomestica.org From the Gospel according to Matthew Mt 10:26-33 At that time, Jesus said to his apostles: "Do not fear men, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." The Word of the Lord. __________________________ Dearly beloved, Today's Gospel is an invitation to believe in God's Providence, which not only guides us but also, and above all, protects us in every difficult moment and choice in our lives, especially in those courageous choices we make to be faithful to his Gospel, to his word. Those choices the Lord has suggested to us in the secret of our hearts in prayer, and to which we have the duty to bear witness in word and deed, without fear, without falsehood, without duplicity. Only those who have faith in God's help can have the strength to make difficult choices without fear of what others may think and say about us, but above all without fear of what others may do to us as a result of our choices. "Do not be afraid of men!" Here is the word of trust in God that opens today's Gospel and that over the millennia has given strength to thousands, even millions of Christians, to become courageous witnesses to the Word of God. Even to give their lives for Christ, for the Gospel, for the Truth. There are those who are fearless and courageous by nature: they are the ones we call "heroes." There are those who are courageous by grace, even though by nature they may seem fragile and weak, and we can all be this. "Heroes by grace," "heroes by love," that love that gives us the strength to risk for God and for others. As a boy, I grew up with a comic book called "The Heroic Collection," which told of heroic deeds, by soldiers and others, during World War I and II. Each installment in the series had the subtitle "a hero is not someone who is not afraid; a hero is someone who conquers fear." Anyone who doesn't have or feel fear in certain situations is simply reckless, or worse, stupid, who thus puts his own life and that of others at risk—often needlessly, through arrogance or recklessness. Unfortunately, we see tragic examples of this almost every day. A Christian is neither reckless, nor stupid, nor an infatuated fanatic when he has the courage to bear witness with words and deeds to the uncomfortable truths of the Gospel, often at great risk. He is only someone who humbly trusts in God's Providence, which will not abandon him in the difficulties and trials he must courageously face to be faithful to the Gospel. For it is certain—and this is the last sentence of today's Gospel passage—that "whoever does not deny me before men, neither will I deny him before my Father who is in heaven." Hugs Gf