Sunday, June 21, 2026 – Mt 10:26-33 – 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Even all the hairs of your head are counted.” With that one line, Jesus tells the Apostles—and He tells us—something astonishing: God knows us completely, and God loves us completely. There is nothing about our lives that is hidden from Him, nothing too small to escape His care.
And yet, even knowing this, we sometimes drift. We lose sight of what matters. We get sidetracked from the path God has laid out for us.
Every one of us has had moments when the noise of the world grows louder than the voice of God. We get caught up in the rat race, in the pressure to achieve, to keep up, to stay busy. And when that happens, our relationship with Jesus can quietly slip from first place to second, or third, or further down the list.
But this struggle is not new. The Old Testament is filled with stories of God’s people losing their way—forgetting the God who rescued them, turning to idols, wandering from the covenant. And when Jesus walked the earth, the same pattern continued. People still drifted, still got distracted, still forgot who they were and whose they were.
So, Jesus speaks to His disciples—and to us—with urgency and tenderness. He reminds us that the Kingdom of God becomes real only when His followers recognize the incredible gift of faith they have been given and share it with the world. But to do that, we must stay rooted in the right priorities.
So how do we stay focused? How do we keep from drifting?
One of the most common things people tell me is, “Father, I don’t pray enough,” or “My prayer life is not what it should be.” And they are right to notice that. Because without prayer, without the Sacraments, without intentionally making space for God, we lose our spiritual bearings. We start to feel lost, overwhelmed, or empty.
Prayer is not just something we do—it is the way God reveals who we are and who we are meant to be. Jesus says today, “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed.” In prayer, God reveals our identity as His beloved sons and daughters. In prayer, He reveals our mission as disciples. In prayer, He reveals the next step on the path He has prepared for us.
And the good news is: we are praying right now. The Mass is the highest form of prayer—the place where heaven touches earth, where Christ feeds us with His Word and His Body. But this can’t be the only moment of prayer in our week. If we want to stay close to God, if we want to stay on the right path, we need daily prayer—simple, honest, consistent conversation with the One who counts every hair on our heads.
It does not have to be complicated. A few minutes in the morning. A quiet moment before bed. A decade of the Rosary. A visit to the Blessed Sacrament. A whispered “Lord, help me” in the middle of a stressful day. What matters is that we turn our hearts toward Him.
Because when we pray, we remember who we are.
When we pray, we remember what matters.
When we pray, we remember that we are never alone.
Jesus tells us today, “Do not be afraid.” And we don’t have to be—because the God who knows us so intimately, who loves us so fiercely, walks with us every step of the way.
May this Eucharist today strengthen us.
May our daily prayer anchor us.
And may we always trust that the One who counts every hair on our heads will never let us lose our way.
Amen.