†Saint Quote
"O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. St. Paul the Apostle, 1 Timothy 6:20-21 †Today's Meditation
"The shock of sorrow comes only to those who think this world is fixed and absolute, that there is nothing beyond. They think everything here below should be perfect. Hence, they ask questions: 'Why should I suffer? What have I done to deserve this?' Maybe you did nothing to deserve it. Certainly, Our Lord did nothing to deserve His Cross. But it came, and through it, He went to His glory."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen, p. 36
The Cries of Jesus From the Cross †Daily Verse "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him, who will be genuinely anxious for your welfare. They all look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy's worth you know, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me; and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself shall come also." Philippians 2:19-24 |  click to read more | | St. Timothy St. Timothy (1st c.) was born in Galatia in Asia Minor, the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. Timothy was a convert of St. Paul the Apostle around the year 47 A.D. Timothy became a trusted friend and a beloved spiritual son to Paul, laboring faithfully alongside him in his apostolic work for many years. Paul mentions Timothy repeatedly in his letters and dispatched him on important missionary work to the local churches he founded. Timothy was ordained to the priesthood at the hands of St. Paul and was later made bishop of Ephesus. St. Timothy was stoned to death thirty years after St. Paul's martyrdom for having denounced the worship of the false goddess Diana. St. Timothy is the patron of intestinal and stomach problems, because Paul admonished him to ease his penance and drink a little wine for the sake of his health, instead of only water. His feast day is January 26. | Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops • Readings for the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops Reading I 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.
OR:
Ti 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. Responsorial 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. Alleluia Ps 119:105 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 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."
| Daily Meditation: 2 Timothy 1:1-8 Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel. (2 Timothy 1:8) Timothy and Titus, whom we celebrate today, were two of St. Paul's most loyal and trusted coworkers. Because he saw the depth of their faith and the strength of their relationship with the Lord, Paul had commissioned them to lead churches in two large, influential places. Timothy became the bishop of the church in Ephesus, and Titus led the church on the island of Crete. But reading Paul's letters to these two men, you get the sense that despite their apostolic zeal and despite the depth of their faith, they still needed guidance. Timothy and Titus had their work cut out for them. That's because no local church is immune to the kinds of divisions, scandals, and controversies that we often see in the world. Paul knew how hard it could be for believers to let go of attitudes and ways of relating that they knew before their conversion. Perhaps that's why he told Timothy, "Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel" and why he told Titus, "Let no one look down on you" (2 Timothy 1:8; Titus 2:15). If you were to ask any bishop in the Church today, he would probably say he could relate to the challenges that Timothy and Titus faced. In addition to listing some of these challenges, you'd probably also hear him echo, in one way or another, Paul's words to the believers in Corinth: "Apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:28). On this day, when we honor two of the first bishops ever to serve the Church, let's pray for our own bishop. Let's ask the Spirit to pour a special blessing of refreshment and peace upon him today. You might also consider writing your bishop a small note of encouragement. Let him know you are grateful for his leadership and his commitment to the Lord. Tell him that you want to work with him in advancing the gospel. And by all means, assure him of your prayers! "Jesus, let every bishop know your presence and your love in a special way today." Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10
Mark 4:21-25 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"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." How hard is it to be grateful nowadays? To our ancestors? To our own people? And how hard is it to worship with a clear conscience? Well, it doesn't have to be THAT hard. Can we clear our conscience? Sure! Just see a priest in Holy Confession, LOL. Woops, that's an obstacel, especially to a non-believer. And I'm not just talking about non-catholics. For it is said that about 70% of Catholics do NOT Believe in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Sacrament of Confession, I'd say about the same, 70% don't believe they need to go fess up and be made whole again. And Holy Matrimony? Yeah, nowadays, I do not see marriages. I say this because I am a witness in the microcosm of my own parish, and this should represent the greater Church. And so, what do we do in a world of non-believers? Well, you got to believe! Swim against the current. | We pray today;
"Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD glory and praise; give to the LORD the glory due his name! Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations" | In the Gospel today we heard:
"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." I've been doing something lately that is like a double edged sword. I've been really sending tons of messages to all the men I know about a men's conference that's coming. Why double edged sword? Because, if you receive this invitation from God, what you do with it is a double edged sword; if you accept, your life could be better and the light could be brighter, and if you reject, you could've missed the opportunity to learn something or bringing someone who's life could've been saved.
Is it THAT critical, really?
The world takes these invitations lightly, like the commandments of God.
They are taken as advice or as suggestions.
But the invitation to a greater intimacy persists. A special banquet is being prepared, literally, and figuratively speaking. Today, we have the power, as St. Paul says, and men are given a great power that women cannot possess.
And there are powers in the world trying to make men's power-less. We are being dismembered, one by one, making men focus on other things, and fooled into nonsense, like work, women, sports, politics or any other ideals, or better said...gods.
You see, what is happening is actually critical. St. Paul experienced this critical truth...that the truth must live on and be passed on...no matter the cost, and it cost St. Paul his very life. And the message went to his loved ones, Timothy and Titus and now all of us reading His Holy words from God.
How amazing it is to see God speaking through the worst of sinners...I take comfort in the metamorphosis of metanoia, a true conversion, and the miracles that can come from the light that pierces the darkness. | ..............†............
Lord, I pray for strength. Strength to believe and strength to love where there is no strength or love...all things faith.
............................ |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 25:7 [Psalm 25] 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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