Sts. Timothy & Titus, bishops 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

2 Timothy 1:1-8 (or Titus 1:1-5)

From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus,

By the will of God, for the sake of his promise of eternal life, in Dhrist Jesus, to my dear son Timothy. May grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God, the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, the way my ancestors id, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers. I recall your tears, and I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, so like the faith of your grandmother Lois and of your mother Eunice, which I am sure you have inherited. For this reason, I invite you to fan into a flame, the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands.

For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in laboring for the gospel, with the strength of God.

 

 Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Mark 3:31-35

 Then his mother and his brothers came. As they stood outside, they sent someone to call him. The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside ask­ing for you.”   He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

 And looking around at those who sat there he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.   Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Jesus does not depreciate His blood relations to His mother and His extended family members who are considered His brothers and sisters. On the other hand, he elevated it higher than mere relations of the flesh.

It is a relationship born from the hearing of the same word that He preached which they accepted and believed. For Mary His mother was the hearer of God’s word par excellence. His relatives must have been the first to believe having a close and intimate relationship with Him.

He therefore invites others who are listening to enter into this relationship based on the hearing and acceptance of the word and not of human relations based on blood.