Saturday - January 26, 2019
"We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us."
--Saint Teresa of Avila
"We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us."
--Saint Teresa of Avila
January 26 2019
Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops Lectionary: 520/316
Reading 1 2 Tm 1:1-8
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,
so that I may be filled with joy,
as I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,
so that I may be filled with joy,
as I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
OrTI 1:1-5
Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ
for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you.
for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you.
Responsorial PsalmPS 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 7-8A, 10
R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
AlleluiaSEE ACTS 16:14B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 3:20-21
Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
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How to be fearless evangelizers
The alternate Gospel reading specifically recommended for the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus is Luke 10:1-9. After Jesus says, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few," he adds, "Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves." It takes courage to lead others to salvation. We live in a world where non-Christians (and sometimes even unchristian "Christians") want to subdue us with their unholy, immoral beliefs and ways.
Saint Paul said to Timothy and now says to us (today's reading from 2nd Timothy, chapter 1) that God did not give us a spirit of cowardice. The fear of speaking up about Jesus is not from God. The Holy Spirit gives us power and love and self-control. "So do not be ashamed of your testimony about our Lord," Paul says.
When we let the Holy Spirit stir up into flame our calling to share the Good News, we are given supernatural power to back up our words. Sadly, we don't see this happening today as much of the first Christians experienced. We've been influenced by a secular culture that disbelieves in the miracle power that belongs to the followers of Christ. What should be normal for us is what was normal for Christians in Paul's time. The Good News is: The Holy Spirit hasn't changed! When we let the fire of the Holy Spirit renew us and overtake us, miracles do happen.
The Holy Spirit also gives us love -- love so passionate for the people around us that we become highly motivated to make Jesus visible to them. And with the self-control that the Spirit gives us, we can choose to overcome the spirit of cowardice.
Opportunities occur every day in our ordinary circumstances. Everything we do should reveal the light of Christ. Who around you is suffering through a tragedy or difficulty? They're instinctively seeking a light that will lead them to hope, to love, to healing, and to the restoration of goodness. Who around you has insufficient faith? They want to be assured that God cares; they're ready to grow.
If you feel unprepared to use current opportunities to let Christ shine from you, avail yourself of the extra grace that's available in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to become the light that you are meant to be. Let your concern for others be the fuel for your light.
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God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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