FRIDAY IN THE THIRD WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II.
Mystery of the day: Joyful
Table of the Word: 2 Samuel 11:1-4.5-10.13-17; Psalm 51:3-4.5-6ab.6cd-7.10-11 (R. cf. 3a); Mark 4:26-34
Celebration for the day: Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
(+97). St Timothy was the son of a pagan father and a Hebrew-Christian mother, Eunice. He was a disciple of St Paul and accompanied him in the evangelization of many cities. St Paul consecrated him Bishop of Ephesus. According to a fourth century story, he was beaten to death by a mob when he opposed the observance of a pagan festival. St Titus was also a friend and disciple of St Paul who ordained him Bishop of Crete. St Paul wrote to these two disciples three pastoral letters, which gave glimpses of the future structure of the Church.
The WORD: "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how." (see Mark 4:26-34)
Theme: The power in the WORD
Inspiration:
Today's Word though in figurative expression has deeper meaning for each and everyone one of us, as Christ's parable often goes with teaching for life.
The text shows that the word of God works invisibly within us. God promised that His word would accomplish the purpose for which He sends it (cf. Isaiah 55:11) So when you hear the word, it works in you, even as you sleep, and in every sutuation . It works in us spiritually, in a way that is invisible to our eyes.
In this parable, our Lord employs the image of a seed to explain the power of the Word which is the fulcrum or hub of our living; as Robertson once said: "The secret of growth is in the seed, not in the soil nor in the weather nor in the cultivating. These all help, but the seed spontaneously works according to its own nature.”
How exactly the seed grows is a mystery to the farmer. Though it grows by a process he cannot see nor fully account for, he has faith in the growing process. So it is with the Kingdom of God: we work in partnership with God, yet the real work is left up to Him – we trust in a process we cannot see nor fully account for. That is why St. Augustine of Hippo once said: "God who created us without us cannot save us without us."
Consequent upon this, we are being called to be concious of our Christian calling in our day-to-day living experience, bearing in mind that every growth is a steady one.
Finally, let us implore the intercession of Ss. Timothy and Titus who's memorial we celebrate today to pray for us so that we may always allow the power in the Word to flow in us, direct and shape us so that we may bear fruits in abundance.
Peace! Be with you!
Let us pray
O God, who adorned Saints Timothy and Titus with apostolic virtues, grant, through the intercession of them both, that, living justly and devoutly in this present age, we may merit to reach our heavenly homeland. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
© The ARCHIVE 26012024
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