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| Sts. Timothy and Titus, Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
(Thursday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time)
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 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.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 1:1-8
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Or: Titus 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.
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Commentary on Ti 1:1-5
This selection is the introduction to St. Paul Crete (which according to the best scholarship, Paul himself never visited.).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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Commentary on Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
“Announce his salvation, day after day.” This song of praise to the Lord invites all humanity to participate in God’s salvation. “This psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Isaiah Chapters 40-55, as does Psalm 98. Another version of the psalm is 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.”[4]
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Gospel: Mark 4:21-25
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
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Commentary on Mk 4:21-25
Jesus continues his private talk with his disciples, explaining the parables he had used when speaking to the crowds from the boat. The description of the lamp placed high so that all can benefit from the light continues the description of the seed that fell on fertile ground in the parable of the “Sower.” It therefore takes the character of a description of the duties of those who hear the word and have it take root in them.
The second part of the reading speaks of “The measure”. Again this refers to his disciples who are given the gift of the word. In them the word will grow. The Lord understands that one of their number will fall “…from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
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Homily:
On a clear night at sea or in one of our Great Lakes, a light from a boat or a lighthouse can be seen for miles. There is nothing to obstruct the passage of those rays emanating from the source. However, on land, for a light to be seen for the same distance, many lights must be used. Things get in the way; buildings, trees, hills and other natural and manmade structures.
If there had been no obstructions to the light Christ brought into the world, without any assistance he could have spread his light into the hearts and minds of the whole world. That, as we all know was not the case. There were many in his day who wanted that light extinguished for good. The Lord know that the dazzling brilliance of his own light would not be left in its human, most visible, form for very long, so he needed to make sure it was passed on. To that end, he appointed his Apostles. It is to them he addresses the story of the lamp.
They in turn passed the light on to others; some shown more brilliantly than others. St. Paul had this light brought into his heart, spectacularly dispelling his blindness. He, in his turn, passed it on to two of his followers – Timothy and Titus, whose memorial we celebrate today. They took the light further and passed it on as well.
We recall this shared responsibility today. We are handed the lamp, each of us. What, we must ask ourselves, have we done with it? Through our words and actions, have we blazed brightly so that others may see? Have we handed the light on to others through our faith and prayers? This is what the Lord calls us to do. This is our charge as his followers. Today we rededicate ourselves to be light in a world that seeks to obscure that light.
Pax
[2] The Icon is of Sts. Timothy and Titus, Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See NAB footnote on Psalm 96
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