2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 / Mark 12:18-27
Timothy was dedicated to God’s service when church leaders laid hands on him. This ancient gesture is still used in the liturgy of the Church today. It is a powerful visual symbol that something is being communicated from the person laying on the hands to the person upon whom the hands are laid. Luke says, “[Jesus] placed his hands” on sick people “and healed them all.” Luke4:4o
Mark says, “[Jesus] placed his hands” on the children “and blessed them.” Markio:16
The Acts of the Apostles says, “Peter and John placed their hands on” the Samaritans, “and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:17
****
Do we ever place our hands on our children to bless them, as some Christian parents do? “[Church leaders] fasted and prayed, placed their hands on [Paul and Barnabas], and sent them off.” Acts 13:3
****
To say that we are a people of faith is certainly not a light statement. By and large, most of us live ordinary lives and we can also say that we only have an ordinary faith. We don't work spectacular signs and wonders, and even as Christians, our lives and our faith changes like the weather and we are subjected to unpredictability. Yet at the very core of our faith, we believe in eternity. We believe that there is something more to this present world, that there is another world.
But here is where the difference sets in. This present world is not going to be the same as that in the next world; it is not a continuation.
In the gospel, the Sadducees talk about the next world as if it was just a continuation of this world, and that was where Jesus pointed out how wrong they were. And how different are we from the assumptions of the Sadducees? If they thought that this world continues into the next, then our thinking would be that this world would never end for us.
Because we live like as if we won't die! But if we really believe that our lives are passing on and finally one day our lives will come to an end, then we would certainly live differently. We certainly wouldn't let greed or selfishness or riches or wealth or status or achievements or possessions distract us because we know that these will all eventually pass away.
But we believe in a living God who wants to give us life to the full in this world and eternal life in the next. If that is our faith in God, then let that faith be shown in our lives.
*****But here is where the difference sets in. This present world is not going to be the same as that in the next world; it is not a continuation.
In the gospel, the Sadducees talk about the next world as if it was just a continuation of this world, and that was where Jesus pointed out how wrong they were. And how different are we from the assumptions of the Sadducees? If they thought that this world continues into the next, then our thinking would be that this world would never end for us.
Because we live like as if we won't die! But if we really believe that our lives are passing on and finally one day our lives will come to an end, then we would certainly live differently. We certainly wouldn't let greed or selfishness or riches or wealth or status or achievements or possessions distract us because we know that these will all eventually pass away.
But we believe in a living God who wants to give us life to the full in this world and eternal life in the next. If that is our faith in God, then let that faith be shown in our lives.
Wednesday of 9th Week
GOD OF THE LIVING
Introduction
For a few days, we shall hear excerpts from Paul’s second letter to Timothy. It is ascribed to Paul but probably written by his disciple or scribe. It insists on the role of both priests and laity to serve the Gospel without fear. With arguments that are a bit difficult to follow, Jesus upholds the resurrection of the dead. God is a God of the living; his promises are not given in vain. Jesus is harsh with those who are interested in religion for the sake of arguing about doctrine but are not interested in faith.
Penitential Rite
-As Paul reminds us to stir into flame the gift of God that we have received, LHM
-God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control, CHM
- do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, LHM
Living God, you are the God of the covenant of life and loyal love. Keep us in your love and keep the promise of life which you have given us through your Son, Jesus Christ. Let his life gush forth in us, fully and richly, until it blooms forth into life without end. We ask this in the name of Christ, our Lord.
Commentary
The two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus, referred to as the “Pastoral Letters,” are markedly different in content and style from Paul’s other writings. If authored by Paul, they come from a period late in his ministry. If authored by another, they probably date from the early second century. They are of particular importance in pointing up the development of ministry within the early church. If the Gospel today warns against too literal a transposition of this world’s reality to that of the future, the epistle underscores some of the basic values relative to our future existence. The Spirit that has been given to us enables us to bear hardships with strength. The difficulties of the present are as nothing compared to the glory that is being revealed in us. With no merit of our own, it is by God’s favor that we are being saved. Death has lost its power; the path of life and immortality lie before us. This has been accomplished through Jesus Christ our Savior. This great message of light and hope has been entrusted to the ministers of the church, of whom Paul is one. Paul preaches that message unashamedly, fully aware that the One in whom he believes will see him through to the end. The casuistry of the Sadducees would have little meaning for Paul. They are raising questions of little consequence. Are we not also guilty of posing questions of little value? The unassailable fact is that we have an eternal destiny with a loving God. That belief is most important.
Points to Ponder
The Spirit and suffering Talking about eternal life Ministers of a message of hope.
Intercessions
– That we may keep up the good fight against all that is deadly to Christian life: dehumanizing kinds of labor, suppression of freedom, paralyzing fear, love that is destroyed, we pray:
– That our beloved dead may live on in the life they gave us, in the good we do, and in the intimate love of God himself, we pray:
– That all suffering and dying people may share in our resurrection faith and find strength in the knowledge that God loves them in life and beyond death, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, your Son Jesus Christ, has brought us the good news of life and immortality. Through your Holy Spirit of power and life, let this bread and wine become the body and blood of your Son, that we may overcome death with Jesus and that we may live his risen life until you let us share in the fullness of your glory and happiness for ever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
God of the living, by the strength of this Eucharist, fan in us the flame of your gifts. Change us, timid people, into people of courage, fully alive, unafraid and not ashamed to bear witness before all who want to see and hear your Good News about our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior for ever.
Blessing
Some groups of the early Christian community called themselves “the living ones.” Our faith, our sharing in the resurrection of Christ, makes us living people, who live for life without end. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
***
Saint Boniface
Feast day June 5
Boniface, who was baptized Winfrid, lived in the eighth century. He was a brilliant monk in a Benedictine monastery in England. He was the head of a school, but he thought God wanted him to be a missionary. He went to Frisia (Northern Netherlands and Germany) to begin his work. A war forced him to return to England for a few years, but he did not give up. Next, he journeyed to Rome to ask the pope to tell him where to serve. Pope Gregory II changed Winfrid’s name to Boniface, which means “a man who does good deeds.” Then he sent Boniface to eastern Germany.
For nearly 35 years, Boniface traveled all over Germany, preaching, teaching, and building schools, monasteries, and convents. He went to Rome to report to the pope about his work. There, the pope ordained him bishop and told him to return to Germany to continue missionary work. Boniface invited monks and sisters from England to come and help him. The monastery at Fulda is probably the most famous one started by Boniface.
As an old man, Boniface returned to Frisia to work among the pagans. One morning, while he was waiting to confirm a group of converts, a band of angry natives rushed into the church and murdered Boniface and about 50 converts. Today Saint Boniface is the patron of Germany.
