My reflections for Jan. 26, 2006 - Thursday

January 26, 2006

Reading I
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.

(Timothy and Titus were bishops in the Early Church, having been consecrated by Paul to care for the communities in Ephesus and Crete, respectively. It is in Paul's letters to these two men that we discover the nascent beginnings of some of the Church structures that have lasted to this day. It is foolish to look for the same understanding of structures that we have today as these have grown over the centuries under the guidance of the Tradition of the Church and the Holy Spirit.)

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.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Gospel
Luke 10: 1-9

After this the Lord appointed seventy (-two) others whom he sent ahead
of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask
the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not,
it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'


(When Jesus sends out the disciples, He wants them to be totally reliant upon the Holy Spirit and not the things that they might take with them to assist them in their task. The same should be true of us. I am not saying that we cannot use media and the like to enhance our Gospel presentations, but we must ensure that we are reliant upon the Spirit of God to do the work of conversion in the hearts of those to whom we are preaching. If this is left up to us, then no one would be converted - only God can cause conversion.)

God's special verse/thought for me today
I am a comitted disciple of God and I rely fully on the Holy Spirit to give me the strength to fulfill my mission for His glory.

my reflections
think: What areas in my life should I still be handing over to the power of the spirit?
I hand over my finances to the power of the holy spirit. I ask my Lord Jesus Christ to have pity on me, and I trust in Him and He is my rescuer.
I hand over my ministry to the power of the holy spirit.