LATEST HOMILY
12th SUNDAY of EASTER
June 21, 2026

Focus: When God the Father is behind you, you have nothing and no one to fear.

Function: Face the darkness with bold light and remember darkness never lasts.

A. The bravest Man I Know. 

• Growing up as child. I did not have the urbanized,
• Childhood like many I know. For me, I was always,
• Outside playing around, in the farm, cleaning,
• Something outside the house or inside the house. 
• My life was always on the outside. The first time I got,
• Internet in my home which was, dial up from Batelnet, 
• By the way, I was fascinated with it but did not use it as,
• Much. Most of my activity was on the outside. 
• Even though I was always doing out door activities, 
• That did not mean that I liked it. I was always known as,
• One big scary child. 
• My mother still calls me this up to this,
• This day. I did not like deep waters even though I lived,
• Near the ocean. I did not like huge foul snakes even,
• Though they were in every part of the bushes, 
• And being the introvert that I am but far more,
• Reclused as a child, I was afraid of large crowds. 
• Of course, that scary child is no more. Do not be fooled. 
• But the reason I share these things is because, 
• My father was the one who showed me how to over,
• Come all of those fears. And how appropriate to speak, 
• Of one’s father especially on Father’s Day?
•  Despite all the fears I had, 
• There was on person who made all my fears,
• Look small and that was my dad. As I child he took me,
• Spear fishing with him in deep waters, 
• And I realized it was not so bad. He flung boa,
• Constrictors far into the bushes if they got in his way as,
• If they were dry sticks. And as introverted as he,
• Was he showed me that you can talk to people and you,
• Would not fall into a hole of overrated anxiety. He even, 
• Showed me from the times he faced conflict to always, 
• Keep calm and never allow yourself to be riled up by any,
• One else. If they throw a temper and start shouting, 
• You do not do the same. You walk away and show them, 
• That such a level of immaturity and vileness,
• Is one I  would never, stoop to. 
• I know this to be true because I have seen him, 
• Set such examples myself. I do not believe he was,
• Perfect but he sure tried his best. As you can tell, my
• Father was and still is the bravest man I know. 
• There, are many reasons why I am a priest today.
•  But I am proud,
• To say I received most of my characteristics from him.
•  However, with maturity and greater insight throughout,
• The years, I came to realize that who my father is and,
• What he showed me is not values he learned on his own.
• Rather these are traits that were passed down to him, 
• And he received such traits from his father and his,
• Father from His Father and that tradition goes on for, 
• Generations untold. In the end such traits of bravery and,
• Character are values that stem from one person and His,
• Name is God Almighty, revealed in His perfect Son Jesus, 
• Christ. 

B. Fear No One nor Anything!

• Jesus speaks to a crowd that reminds me of myself. 
• Anxiety saturated, afraid of one’s fears and even some,
• People and what they may think. Afraid to cast out into,
• Into the deep. Afraid of what may be out there. 
• They are afraid of the unknown. They are
• Afraid of what might become of them. But Jesus says:
• “Fear no one!” His statement begs the question,
• What can they do to you? Do not be afraid to stand up for,
• What is right. Do not be afraid to stand up for one’s self. 
• When you live in the light of Christ, the darkness of ones, 
• Insecurities and blinded—self –bloated egos will never,
• Touch you! The Light of Christ not only scatters darkness, 
• It also burns the proud and cleanses the false pretences, 
• Others may try to intimated you with. But do not let such,
• Nonsense trouble you. Of course, Jesus does not preach, 
• Without practice. When Jesus is challenged by,
• Those in His home town because he claimed to be the,
• Messiah, he does not back down. He speaks the truth
• Even to the point where they tried to,
• Throw him off the cliff but he does not allow. Because fears no one nor anything. When the pharisees try to,
• Trap him he answers them with confidence but also with,
• Charity. When he stood before the Sanhedrin and Pilot, 
• He did not flinch; he did not cower nor whimper. But he 
• Stood tall knowing that His Father was on His side and,
• Would never leave Him unjustified. Why? Because,
• Jesus is the light of the world and when the Jews and,
• Romans tried to put that light out they could not because 
• It shined even in the depths of hell where they, 
• Themselves tried to bury the truth of who Christ is! 

C. Jesus, The Bravest Man of All Time!

• My father may have been the bravest man in my life. 
• But Christ Jesus is the bravest man of all time. 
• And Jesus is not just any man, He is God Almighty. 
• And that is why we should never be afraid of anyone or, 
• Anything friends! As Saint Paul says in today’s second, 
• Reading that if we receive death through the old Adam, 
• Then how much more grace will we receive through the,
• New?  Life died for us that we may not,
• Fear death! Life is not afraid of His enemy, 
• Because He wielded His enemy through His, 
• Death. So do not fear evil friends. Do not fear global, 
• Crises, do not fear famine, do not fear anything that tries,
•  To threaten human life because human life has already, 
• been secured by Christ. 
• The only thing we should be afraid of is a lukewarmness, 
• towards Jesus’ invitation to walk with Him.
• We should fear a heart that does not care for,
• What is good and holy, fear a soul that prefers darkness, 
• Rather than light. Negativity rather than positivity. 
• Isolation rather than community, resentment rather,
• Than Love and forgiveness. 
• If there is anything you are afraid to face right now. 
• Remember that God is always one step ahead of you. 
• If you haven’t realized it already, He’s the bravest man,
• You know and by God’s Fatherly example He will always,
• Show us in His Son Jesus Christ, 
• You can over come your fears when you walk behind the,
• Light that scatters the darkness. 

AMEN.