Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-44) - Spirit of Power and Love and Self-Control

Dearest Goddaughter,

Today is the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops, and we have two readings to choose from for the first reading - from Saint Paul second letter to Timothy or his letter to Titus.

In his letter to Titus, Saint Paul wrote that he left Titus is Crete so that he "might set right what remains to be done." Moreover, in his second letter to Timothy, Saint Paul encouraged and reminded Timothy "to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. . . bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God."

While that latter was to encourage Timothy in his missionary work, those same encouraging words could also apply to Titus who Saint Paul left to be the Bishop of Crete to shepherd the people of God in Crete. Moreover, these two letters are certainly a reminder to us to be bold in our witness of the Good News of Jesus Christ in our own time and society, just as Paul, Timothy, and Titus were in their time and society.

Let us not be "ashamed of [our] testimony" because, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel, those who deny him before others, he will deny them before his Father in heaven. No matter how small our faith may be, if we allow ourselves to be nourished by the word of God, our faith will blossom as to bring others to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5 and Mk 4:26-34 (below).

. . .

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.