What's the most dangerous thing I do?

Homily

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

21 June 2026

St. Ann Catholic Church Prairie Village, KS

AMDG

What's the most dangerous thing I do?

I admitted a few weeks ago that I am afraid of heights.  No bungee or cliff jumping for me. Definitely no sky diving or taking a trip to outer space. Verticality is not my strong suit.  And that's the problem.  Anyone playing it safe has already lost.  We are meant more for vertical living, not necessarily physically through sky scrapers, but spiritually through our sense of adventure, our exploring with courage our capacity to glorify God by fulfilling our vocation to love.  

As is clear from today's Gospel, Jesus believes you are the most courageous person in the world.  Three times in a few verses He tells you his missionary disciple not to be afraid.  It's the heartbeat of the Gospel.  They are the first words of the most courageous person I have ever met, John Paul II. Do not be afraid.  

If you're paying attention here at St. Ann, the most dangerous thing we do together is go to Mass.  Many of you remember the decision a year and a half ago to have armed security in our school building.  Those security measures extend into the celebration of Mass.  Why did we do that?  It was an admission that going to Mass, especially with our children, is the most dangerous and courageous thing we do.  We are always working on security, so that St. Ann is the safest place or the family of God to gather.  Yet going to Church is never playing it safe, at least it shouldn't be.  

First of all, there is an evil one trying to kill the life of God in you.  Jesus says be afraid of that person, and no one else besides God.  One tactic of the evil one is to scare you out of going to Mass, where you feed and strengthen the very life of God in you.  Evil knows where to strike, precisely at the point of our deepest commitment to explore a love stronger than death, with our children.  If evil makes us scared to worship, it has won.  

Yet an even better tactic is to make us comfortable going to Mass, to make you think going to Mass isn't dangerous.  Whenever we are comfortable, we stop pursuing a love strong as death.  When comfortable, we don't put our life on the line through the sacrifice of Jesus, we stop choosing to fear the Lord for love of His holy will.  We just sit on the sidelines, complacent and distracted.  Or out of complacency we don't show up at all.

Jesus knows we all need resistance training to grow in courage.  Blessed are you when they insult and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  In order to be the most courageous people in the world, we can't hide our faith.  It should be clearly evident in my life and yours that we know a love stronger than death, and would die in an instant for what we believe.  Acknowledging this through a worthy participation in the Mass is the most courageous and dangerous thing we do.  

Dads too are meant to do dangerous things.  Dads have an irreplaceable role in leading a family courageously to overcome those evils that threaten to discourage us. Dads have a role in teaching a family to live vertically.  Everyone should know what Dad lives and dies for, and where He is going to show up with courage.  If a dad doesn't show up with courage, there is no substitute.  

That includes at Mass, the most dangerous place we can be.  The biggest predictor of Mass attendance is whether dad shows up.  The other  is whether it's easy or hard to go to Mass.  Whenever it's easy, nobody goes.  Whenever it's hard, even in danger of death, the place is packed.  Do you know why that is?

This doesn't meant that we should be reckless, nor that we shouldn't take every precaution to make our Masses safe, and to defend against and deter evil.  But Mass can never be complacent or comfortable.    Mass is never less than a place to put your life on the line, to live the vertical dimension of your life through worship, and to participate from the heart in the exploration of a love stronger than death.  

If Mass isn't the most dangerous thing I do, I'm not doing Mass right.  

If not Mass, what is the most dangerous thing you do?

+mj