Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time (January 26, 2018): Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops

Thứ Năm, 25-01-2018 | 15:43:44

Today’s Readings:

2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5
Ps 96:1-3,7-8a,10
Mark 3:22-30
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012618.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_01_26.mp3

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

Good News Reflection: Excited about the Good News

Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading that no one lights a lamp just to hide it. You and I — our lives have been lit up by Christ, and of course we want others to benefit from it. The good news is so good that we want to make Jesus available to those who are seeking more light for their own paths. We want to put ourselves where others can see Jesus shining in us so that their faith grows.

Saint Paul said to Timothy and now says to us (today’s first reading) 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.

Today’s Prayer:

My Lord: May my love for You move me to search and announce the Good News boldly and with perseverance. Thank you Lord, because Your work in me goes beyond my own existence in this world. Amen.

Tags: bishops, Good News Reflection, Holy Gospel according to Mark, Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, the Third Week of Ordinary Time