MEMORIAL OF SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS - BISHOPS, 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children. MT 11:25

2 TIMOTHY 1:1-8

My Soul's Beloved,

Like the Apostle Paul, we must be aware of our identity and declare it boldly and with confidence. When we know who we are, children of God, and heirs to the Kingdom, only then can we testify boldly from this position of truth. Faith in You is a gift it is not earned, it cannot be bought, it is freely given by God to whomever He wills. 

Those whom God chooses, calls and appoints as bishops and priests must, like Paul, have a fatherly affection for all God's children, care for them, encourage them, and foster their faith so it continues to grow.

Paul was ever mindful of what God had done for him in You, the great privilege accorded to him to be called by You and appointed by You as an apostle to the Gentiles. So keenly did he feel the weight of this responsibility, that he spent himself tirelessly in making You known and loved and winning souls for You and for the Kingdom.

We in turn must love our bishops and priests. We must pray for them and support them rather than join the great number who readily undermine their authority, speak ill of them, thereby sowing division and discord among the faithful.  

While faith is God's gift to us we have the responsibility to keep the flame of faith alive and burning. The Spirit of God received at our Baptism affirms us in our mission in the Sacrament of Confirmation when hands were laid on us to evangelize the world. Paul reminds us that the Spirit given to us is a Spirit of boldness, power, love, and self-control. 

If we are ashamed to testify to the love of God manifested in You before the world then You will not acknowledge us before Your Father. You lay down Your life for us may we be prepared to take up our cross daily and follow You and rejoice if we are privileged to give up our lives for You and for the Gospel. 

PSALM 96:1-3,7-8,10

My Soul's Beloved,

Every day we receive new blessings, all undeserved, simply because You love us. Each new day is a gift given to us so we can praise You, bless You, and glorify You.  The whole of creation is imprinted with Your life and goodness and it is a joy to be able to look around us and recognize that all the beauty that surrounds us is but a shadow of the beauty that awaits in the life to come.

The breath of the Spirit keeps us alive and this breath is given to us to praise You who alone are worthy of all our praise, adoration, thanksgiving, and worship. May our whole lives be a witness and a testament to Your love for us unworthy sinners. 

We are members of Your family. To us is given a share of Your inheritance and while we are still here on earth we have the privilege of belonging to You and being one with You in the Holy Eucharist. You are our food and drink, in consuming You we are consumed by You. 

There is no King but You, no Lord but You, no God but You who lives and reigns one God -  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit now and forever. And we are Yours.

MARK 3:31-35

My Soul's Beloved,

Today, You teach us how we can truly become members of the family of God. We look at the scene that St. Mark describes for us. The room is crowded with people seated around You there is no room for anyone to enter. You receive a message that is relayed from those at the door and is passed on until it reaches You. The message is this, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ Your response gladdens the heart of every disciple, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ You looked at the faces of those around You, their gaze was fixed on You, their hearts were receptive to Your message, and they longed for more than the world could offer and revealed what is at the heart of authentic discipleship, ‘Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

There is no human creature ever born or will be born whose will was as closely entwined with the will of God as that of Mary's. No life was so sublimely one long sustained 'yes' to all that God asked of her even when she did not understand and cost her such intense suffering no human could bear it. Just as it was food and drink to You to do the will of Your Father in heaven, so it was to her. There is none either in heaven or on earth, apart from You, who did the will of God so perfectly in all things as Mary, Your Mother.

If we imitate her we can be certain she will lead us straight to You, for her advice to all her little children is this, "Do whatever He tells you to do."