12th Sunday A
Mass for the Deaf Community
St. Ignatius, Urbana
June 21, 2026
A Word of Thanks
First, let me say, Happy Father’s Day! My warmest greetings to fathers of families and, of course, we pray for all our fathers who have done home to the Lord. We also want to pray for our spiritual fathers – especially Fr. Depcik – whose priestly presence and pastoral care is such a great blessing. So too, Fr. Brian Nolan, who has welcomed the deaf community so warmly.
And my thanks to all of you, the members of the Catholic deaf community. I thank you for taking responsibility in the life of your church – serving in various ministries, organizing, offering help and suggestions. I especially want to mention the Deaf Eucharistic Congress, your Lenten Retreat, sharing in the Jubilee Year Pilgrimage of the Archdiocese, and raising funds for good causes, like a deaf-blind organization. All this and more has borne the good fruit of evangelization. More members are joining the Church. More are coming to Mass. More are being confirmed. There is growth in Bible studies. Praying the Rosary. Making use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Not only are you communicating more among yourselves, you are part of wider networks in the Church, such as the Maryland ASL festival, participating in the National Deaf Cursillo, & planning to host the National Catholic Office of the Deaf in Baltimore in 2027. All this has happened under the guidance of Fr. Depcik! He leadership, encouragement, and his prayerfulness has help you to be an active faith community – and we are so grateful!
When Troubles Mount
Allow me, now, to offer a brief reflection on today’s Scripture readings, beginning with Jeramiah’s complaint in our first reading. Jeremiah is troubled. Not only does he have critics, he has enemies. And they are ganging up on him. They are looking for something to accuse him of. They want to shame him and to punish him – all because he had the courage to speak God’s Word honestly. To say he ruffled feathers is an understatement.
Our situation may not be as dire as Jeremiah’s – but we can relate to his predicament. Sometimes we face unjust criticism, and critics can become enemies. One in a while, a friend might betray us, especially by gossiping. And when things aren’t going well, we may feel the whole world is against us. It isn’t. But that’s how we can feel – myself no less than you.
The Hairs of Your Head Are Counted
When we feel that way, we need to listen again to what Jesus says in the Gospel: “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet none of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Well, I don’t know about you, but the Lord doesn’t have to work very hard to count the hairs of my head! But here’s is what the Lord is saying to you and to me this morning: He wants us to know that he loves us. That he understands us, better than we understand ourselves. That he cares for us, not just as a group, but as individuals. The Lord wants us to know and be convinced that we are not the sum of our sins, our failings, or our weaknesses. God made us in his image and likeness. He loves you and me – personally – with an infinite love and each of us possess in his eyes an infinite dignity. We belong to the Lord, and belonging to the Lord, we belong to one another. How beautiful is the Lord’s care for us.
St. Paul reminds us how we experience the Lord’s love and care. He teaches us that Jesus, through his death and resurrection, overcame the sins of the world initiated by the sin of Adam. The sins of the world were overcome by the grace of God, that is, by the overflowing love of Jesus. This is the love that comes to us in God’s Word and this is the love we share in the Mass and the Sacraments: The overflowing, “gracious gift of Jesus Christ.” The Lord doesn’t simply say that he loves us, he communicates the never-ending graces of his Cross and Resurrection to us.
Absolute Trust
But for us to face life unafraid, we must respond to the gifts he gives us. We must trust in the Lord. Deeply. Totally. Like Jeremiah, we must call on Christ as “our mighty champion.” Like Jesus, we must say to God, “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.” And like St. Ignatius of Loyola, the patron of this parish, we should pray: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours, do with it what you will. Give me your love and your grace. That’s enough for me!”
Only when we trust the Lord completely can we live without fear. For by trusting, we give God permission to draw us closer to himself, to purify us, to strengthen us, to fill us with hope, and to grant us a joy that nothing and no one can take away from us. May God bless you and keep you always in his love!