January 26, 2019 Saturday of the 2nd week in Ordinary time-C SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS, BISHOPS
2 Timothy 1:1-8
Psalm 96
Mark 3:20-21
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self control. 2 Tim 1:7
Lord, it is clear that there were strong bonds of trust and friendship between Paul and Timothy. From his prison cell Paul encouraged Timothy to stand tall and continue his witness to you in Ephesus. Maybe Timothy needed to be more zealous in meeting the challenges of being a disciple. Your infant church had many obstacles to overcome in a largely pagan world. Things haven’t changed much today. The world, the flesh and devil tempt us to give up when things get tough. They lure us into a state of comfort, ease and self-sufficiency. It’s a lot easier to ignore the attacks on our faith than to resist them. Lord, we live in a largely secular world where the unborn are aborted, the elderly forgotten, the disabled overlooked and the idols of money, power and influence are worshiped. Timothy was urged to bear his share of hardship for your Gospel. Help me to remember that all the power, love, self-control and truth are on my side. You have won the victory but the enemy still resists. With your grace I can and will, whether convenient or not, be a witness to your love and truth today. Amen.