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 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 | 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 Lectionary: 520/317 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. 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. 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. Alleluia See 2 Timothy 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 3:22-30 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons." Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: 2 Timothy 1:1-8 Stir into flame the gift of God. (2 Timothy 1:6) Today we celebrate two of St. Paul's most famous disciples: Sts. Timothy and Titus. Both men had humble beginnings, but they both grew into wise and holy leaders in the early Church. Timothy became the bishop of the city of Ephesus, and Titus became the bishop of the island of Crete. Surely both of these men needed a good deal of encouragement as they led their large and prominent churches! So it's appropriate that we read St. Paul's metaphor in today's first reading about a single glowing ember becoming a blazing fire. When that ember is the gift of God's grace through the Holy Spirit, Paul says, it can be stirred up into a furnace of divine grace and power! How can you stir this flame? Of course, time spent in prayer is essential, but what about the rest of the day? You can follow Paul's example—and the example of Timothy and Titus—and look for opportunities to take risks for God. For example, if someone is sharing about a difficulty they are facing, you could offer them words of compassion and then gently ask if you could pray with them for a moment. Or you could ask the Spirit what to say and then offer that message as something for them to ponder. You could ask your pastor if there are any practical needs in the parish that you could help meet. You could even sign up for a mission trip! These are all ways you can fan the flame of the Spirit within you so that it warms the people around you. Each one carries a risk, but as you turn to the Holy Spirit for courage, you'll sense his fire burning in you and empowering you to bring his love into the world. Whatever step you take, remember that the spark of the Holy Spirit is unquenchable—nothing life throws at you can fully dim its glow. Every day there is a new chance to rouse that flicker of flame into a mighty blaze! "Holy Spirit, set my life on fire for God!" Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10
Mark 3:22-30 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." ...." Word of the Lord. | Blasphemy is the most grave of all sins.
It is detrimental to the soul.
Using Ai, we hear: "In Catholic theology, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the final, impenitent refusal to accept God's mercy and forgiveness, often described as a hardened heart. It is considered "unforgivable" not because of a limit on God's mercy, but because the sinner explicitly rejects the means of forgiveness—repentance. Key aspects of this doctrine include: ▪ Final Impenitence: It involves stubbornly refusing to repent until death.
▪ Deliberate Rejection: It is the deliberate refusal to accept the salvation and grace offered by the Holy Spirit.
▪ Misattributing God's Work: As noted in Mark 3:22-30, it can involve attributing the evident work of the Holy Spirit to evil.
▪ Examples: It is commonly associated with sins like final despair (believing one's sin is too great for God to forgive) or presumption (expecting salvation without repentance).
▪ Hope for Forgiveness: Because God's mercy has no limits, anyone who is worried about having committed this sin is likely not in a state of final impenitence and can seek forgiveness.
| ▪ | Final Impenitence: It involves stubbornly refusing to repent until death. | | ▪ | Deliberate Rejection: It is the deliberate refusal to accept the salvation and grace offered by the Holy Spirit. | | ▪ | Misattributing God's Work: As noted in Mark 3:22-30, it can involve attributing the evident work of the Holy Spirit to evil. | | ▪ | Examples: It is commonly associated with sins like final despair (believing one's sin is too great for God to forgive) or presumption (expecting salvation without repentance). | | ▪ | Hope for Forgiveness: Because God's mercy has no limits, anyone who is worried about having committed this sin is likely not in a state of final impenitence and can seek forgiveness. | It is not a momentary lapse or a casual, angry word, but a definitive, persistent, and conscious turning away from God."
Can this happen inadvertently? We know for sure it is persistence that counts. If this is how you die, then you die like the bad thief next to Christ at His crucifixion. But if we repent, we can die like the good thief at the moment of our Lord's crucifixion.
It is in the will that everything is found. I tell my OCIA students that because of their current desire to become fully Catholic, and if they die, God will know their will....to count it even as if they would have received the Sacraments.
You see, God is THAT good and much more.
It is us that make Him out to be bad, and...this is evil.
That little doubt of Eve. That little dark seed in the garden from the beginning.
As if to say there is evil in Heaven? It is not tolerated. And if Revelation tells us anything, it is that it will be cast away...no matter the cost.
And so, it should be for us in our lives....that we cast away what is evil. And thank God we have the opportunity to repent, believe, and be saved.
The Holy Catholic Church will soon find itself at Ash Wednesday, a most opportune time to repent. To sacrifice. To go into the desert. To crucify, in the end, our very selves, if necessary....to live in God's glory...of the Holy Resurrection of God on Earth, to God in Heaven, with Him, in Him, and through Him! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1 Matthew 6:19–21 [Matthew 6] Lay Up Treasures in Heaven 19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust1 destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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