The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to fan into flames the coals of our faith in Providence and our journey to a deeper relationship with God.
The reading from the Second Letter to Timothy offers Thanksgiving and Encouragement.
* [1:6] The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an ecclesiastical office. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.
* [1:8] Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel.
* [1:9–10] Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.
* [1:11] Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 123 is a Supplication for Mercy.
* [Psalm 123] A lament that begins as a prayer of an individual (Ps 123:1), who expresses by a touching comparison exemplary confidence in God (Ps 123:2). The Psalm ends in prayer that God relieve the people’s humiliation at the hands of the arrogant (Ps 123:3–4). (Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question about the Resurrection.
* [12:13–34] In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).
* [12:18–27] See note on Mt 22:23–33. (Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock comments on the dead being raised, and Jesus questioning the Sadducces about the Book of Moses ( the Torah) about the bush, and how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? " He is not God of the dead but of the living.” Of course Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all “dead” before God spoke to Moses at the burning bush -She takes this to mean even if one is “dead’, one is alive to God. God is the God of all, because all are alive in him.
I have heard that there are many today who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus or of anyone for that matter. Even some people affiliated in an official capacity with the Church express their doubts. The blinking light by my father’s chair may have been a signal, a reminder of a promise kept, but for sure the power of God is greater. I recall Jesus’ words: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Jesus didn’t say “IF they rise from the dead” but “WHEN they rise from the dead”. What a wonderful future awaits. The exact parameters of that mystery are unknown, but we trust in the Love that created us, the Love that sustains us, the Love that welcomes us home. (Braddock, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “No marriage in the resurrection,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"What did the Lord say to the Sadducees? He said, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they marry neither husbands nor wives; for neither do they start dying again, but they will be equal to the angels of God' (Mark 12:24-25; Matthew 22:29-30). The power of God is great. Why do they not marry husbands or wives? They will not start dying again. When one generation departs, another is required to succeed it. There will not be such liability to decay in that place. The Lord passed through the usual stages of growth, from infancy to adult manhood, because he was bearing the substance of flesh that still was mortal. After he had risen again at the age at which he was buried, are we to imagine that he is growing old in heaven? He says, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' He eliminated the assumption of the Jews and refuted the objection of the Sadducees, because the Jews did indeed believe the dead would rise again, but they had crude, fleshly ideas about the state of humanity after resurrection. He said, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' ... It has already been stated that we are to rise again. We have heard from the Lord that we rise again to the life of the angels. In his own resurrection, he has shown us in what specific form we are to rise again." (excerpt from SERMON 362.18-19.30) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 comments that Paul may have been concerned that the burdens of leadership and the challenges of discipleship had caused Timothy to grow weary. So he exhorts Timothy to rouse the gift he already has. Why? So that the fire of God could blaze brightly through him and enable him to bring the light of Christ to the people of Ephesus.
The Spirit is always with you. But like that smoldering campfire, sometimes it needs stirring. You can rekindle your flame by shaking off the ash—by repenting and turning away from sin. You can stoke the embers by reading the word of God and letting it move you to walk in God’s ways. Like bellows, you can bring oxygen to the fire by opening your heart to God’s grace as you pray. The Spirit will bless your efforts so that your flame burns brightly before everyone around you.
“Help me, Lord, to stir up the gift of your Spirit!” (Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the advanced ecclesiology of the Pastoral Letters and the likelihood that they were not written by Paul. The letters are set in the time of Paul’s imprisonment and share Paul’s experience of a passion like Jesus and the need to trust in God who we realize is in charge. Friar Jude reminds us that the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Torah where there is no mention of resurrection as they use the Levirate marriage custom to question Jesus.
James Finley continues to reflect on St. Symeon’s instructions for praying the Jesus Prayer.
St. Symeon instructs us to “shut your eyes” when praying the Jesus Prayer. What if we could all close our eyes right now and be interiorly awakened? And what if, when we open our eyes, we would see through our own awakened eyes what Jesus saw in all that he saw? What would we see? We’d see God! Because Jesus saw God in all that he saw. (Finley, n.d.)
We are aided by the Spirit in our contemplation of the Presence of God, today, and the eternal nature of our relationship with the Divine.
References
Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060524.html
Finley, J. (n.d.). From Head to Heart. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/from-head-to-heart/
Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12?
Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/05/989959/
Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/123?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Know Neither the Scriptures nor the Power of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun5
2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1?
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