DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION

JANUARY 26, 2023

THURSDAY - MEMORIAL OF SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS, BISHOPS

(IN INDIA - REPUBLIC DAY)

FIRST READING

2 TIMOTHY 1:1-8 OR (TITUS 1:1-5 / 2 TIMOTHY 1:1-8 / HEBREWS 10:19-25) (IN INDIA - 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-8)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. 4 As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo'is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. 6 Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 8 Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God.

The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSALMS 95(96):1-3, 7-8, 10 OR (PSALMS 23:1-6) (IN INDIA - PSALMS 91:1-6, 10-11)

Response: Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.

O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name.

R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!

R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!

R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
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GOSPEL

Living in the Light of God's Truth and Wisdom

MARK 4:21-25 OR (LUKE 10:1-9) (IN INDIA - JOHN 8:31-42)

21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. 25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION

DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS

Called to shine in the midst of darkness, by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.

"Why does the Lord call us the light of the world? Why has he compared us to a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14)? Are we not called to shine in the midst of darkness, and stand up high for those most sunk down? If you hide your lamp beneath a bushel (Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:26, 11:33), you will soon notice that you yourself will be in the dark. You will find others bumping into you. So what can you do to illumine the world? Let your faith produce good works. Be a reflection of God's light. The good is not preoccupied with darkness. It rejoices in being seen (John 3:21). It exults over the very pointings which are made at it. Christian modesty not only wishes to be modest, but also it wishes to be beheld as what it actually is."

(excerpt from ON THE APPAREL OF WOMEN 2.13)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.