SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS, BISHOPS
Psalter PROPER
WHITE
Timothy and Titus were converted to Christianity by St Paul, and became his companions and helpers. Paul entrusted Timothy with the care of the Christians in Ephesus, and sent Titus to Crete to look after the Christians there. He wrote them the so-called “pastoral” epistles, giving advice for pastors and people alike.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 95: 3-4
Tell among the nations his glory, and his wonders among all the peoples, for the Lord is great and highly to be praised.
Collect
O God, who adorned Saints Timothy and Titus with apostolic virtues, grant, through the intercession of them both, that, living justly and devoutly in this present age, we may merit to reach our heavenly homeland. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-8
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. For this reason, I remind you 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. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
R/ Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
- Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. Sing to the Lord; bless his name.
- Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
- Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; give to the Lord the glory due his name!
- Say among the nations: The Lord is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity.
Gospel Acclamation: 2 Timothy 1:10
Alleluia, alleluia. Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, which we bring in celebration of Saints Timothy and Titus, and, in your kindness, render us fully acceptable by giving us sincerity of heart. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mk 16: 15; Mt 28:20
Go into all the world, and proclaim the Gospel. I am with you always, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
May the Sacrament we have received, O Lord our God, nourish in us that faith taught by the preaching of the Apostles and kept safe by the labours of Saints Timothy and Titus. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother and in your mother.” Paul speaks of the origins of Timothy’s faith; he received it from his mother Lois, who in turn received it from her own mother Eunice. In his family therefore, the Christian faith was transmitted from generation to generation. St. John Paul II called the family the domestic Church, and with good reason; it is in the family that the Christian should first be discovered and lived. Parents have a responsibility to initiate their children into the mystery of the faith. They have to teach them to know and love God, to pray, and to practice Christian virtues. In the Gospel, Jesus reprimands the Jews for refusing to believe in his divine power and accusing him of working for the devil; in so doing, they sin against the Holy Spirit. We all have to learn to believe in Jesus, acknowledge his power over all existence, and allow him to transform our lives. This learning process has to begin and be sustained in the family. If you are a parent, then you have the duty to transmit the faith to your spouse and your children.