Reading 1
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.
Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
Responsorial PsalmR. (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.
Gospel
Mk 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
Meditation: 2 Timothy 1:1-8
Sts. Timothy and Titus
Stir into flame the gift of God that you have. (2 Timothy 1:6)
Today we celebrate Sts. Timothy and Titus, two of our first bishops. And on this day, one truth shines out: No matter how the role of bishops has changed over the centuries, their mission remains the same—to encourage believers to press on and keep growing in their faith. Bishops are called by God to dedicate their lives to helping all their people reach their fullest potential in Christ.
Most of us aren’t bishops, but we are all in a network of relationships with other people whose lives we can touch and influence: children and grandchildren, friends, co-workers, neighbors, fellow parishioners. In all of these relationships, we can take an interest in people’s spiritual lives and encourage them to fan into flame the wonderful gifts that God has given them. So let’s look at Paul’s relationship to Timothy to find out how we can become agents of encouragement and inspiration.
It’s obvious that Paul was personally involved in Timothy’s life. It was from this position of friendship and mutual love that Paul was able to recognize Timothy’s gifts and encourage him to use them. His friendship with Timothy also gave Paul the freedom to help him set the unshakable truths of the gospel as the foundation for his life.
This is a model for us as well. Even when we are busy with other demands, we can still learn how to pay attention to the people around us, connecting with them and learning about their hopes and fears, their joys and challenges. We can look for the gifts that other people have and encourage them to use these gifts to build up God’s people. And we can take opportunities to encourage our friends when their faith is wavering. We don’t have to be bishops or pastors to make a difference in the church. We can all encourage each other and build each other up, fanning the flame in each other’s lives until the whole church is burning with passion for the Lord!
“Lord, help me to see the people in my life with your eyes. Teach me how to be an agent of encouragement and hope in you.”
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