HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT TIMOTHY AND TITUS - FRIDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME / YEAR B

HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT TIMOTHY AND TITUS – FRIDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME / YEAR B

THEME: The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all.

BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA

READINGS OF THE DAY
2 Timothy 1:1-8
Psalm 95:1-3,7-8,10
Mark 4:26-34

LITURGICAL COLOUR
WHITE

INTRODUCTION
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.Today we celebrate the Feast of the Saints Timothy and Titus. Yesterday was the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul. Today is the feast of two of Paul’s closest associates and co-workers, Timothy and Titus. Paul needed associates to do his work. Paul never saw himself as a type of ‘lone ranger’. It was Paul who gave us that image of the church as the body of Christ with a great diversity of members, each with their own gift of the Spirit, each member with a vital contribution to make to the life of the church and at the same time dependent upon the contribution of everyone else in the church.

FROM OUR FIRST READING
In our first reading this morning, Saint Paul begins by telling Timothy that he always remembers him in his prayers. Paul was very convinced of the value of intercessory prayer. He frequently told people that he remembered them in his prayers. We all appreciate being remembered in other people’s prayers, and other people appreciate it when we let them know that we are praying for them. This is one of the ways we give expression to what the church calls the communion of saints, the deep bond between all the baptized, including the bond between those of us on our pilgrim way and those who have come to the end of their earthly pilgrimage.

FROM OUR GOSPEL READING
In todays Gospel reading, we see that just like saint Paul, Jesus too needed associates to do his work. That is why we find him in today’s gospel reading appointing seventy two and sending them out ahead of him; it wasn’t enough just to appoint the twelve. Indeed, as he sends out the 72, he asks them to pray to the Lord of the harvest for even more workers for the Lord’s harvest. Indeed, the Lord needs us all; we are all called to be his co-workers, proclaiming by our lives that, in the words of Jesus this morning, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’. If the Lord needs us to share in his work, we, in turn, need each other’s support if we are to respond to that call of the Lord.

CONCLUSION
Dear friends in Christ, we need each other’s gifts and experience if the Lord’s work is to be done in today’s world. We all have something unique to contribute to that work of the Lord. Each of us has some gift of the Spirit to give to others, and each of us has much to receive from the gifts of the Spirit in others. In that first reading, Paul encourages us to ‘fan into a flame’ whatever gift God has given us, because, as Paul goes on to say, whatever gift God has given us, is never a ’spirit of timidity’ but always a ‘Spirit of power, and love, and self-control’.
May the two saints Timothy and Titus always pray for Us.

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