Daily Gospel Reflection

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January 26, 2024

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus - Bishops
Mk 4:26-34
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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.

Reflection

Katie Laskey '17
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This winter is my first season as an assistant coach for middle school girls’ CYO basketball. I volunteered because they needed people but mostly because I wanted more interaction with middle school students.

As a former middle school teacher, I thought entering this new role would be no problem. But the other coaches knew the players already, and I was unsure of my place. It took a few weeks to learn all their names and feel comfortable striking up conversations between layup drills. The moment I knew I had earned some acceptance was when the random questions started getting progressively sillier. The joy of inside jokes was the fruit of God’s slow work, helping us see the good in each other.

I thought of the basketball team when reflecting on the parables in today’s gospel. The concept of plants growing without our knowledge or awareness to become something beautiful is so simple yet powerful. God’s grace is constantly working in known and unknown ways, seen and unseen.

In the education and youth ministry fields, I’ve often heard about how we, as adults, plant the seeds that one day will grow in the children we serve. But my experience with the basketball team has changed this understanding for me.

I don’t usually realize it right away, but a small interaction with a student—a shared joke, a high five, a well-played give-and-go—can have a resounding impact on me far beyond the moment itself. The openness, humor, and adaptability of young people fuel my faith in God and remind me that I am precious in God’s eyes, just as these players are precious in mine.

As we begin Catholic Schools Week this Sunday, may we remain open to the often unseen and unsung gifts of young people that will help the faith grow and yield fruit for our struggling world.

Prayer

Rev. LeRoy E. Clementich, C.S.C.

O God, help us grow in holiness and peace. Without your heavenly nourishment, we are bound to wilt and wither. With the aid of your Son’s example, we shall grow a hundred fold in all that enriches your kingdom, now and forever. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Saint of the Day

Sts. Timothy and Titus

Sts. Timothy and Titus were two of St. Paul’s closest associates—he called them his “sons” in Christ—and they helped him establish and encourage new Christian communities in the early Church.

Timothy was born and raised in Galatia, which is in modern-day Turkey, and his Jewish mother embraced faith in Jesus. Timothy was raised with a firm education in Scripture, and when Paul visited his town to preach, the elders recommended Timothy to him. Paul had already dispatched his companion Barnabas on a mission and needed a helper, so he adopted the young Timothy as his assistant.

Timothy accompanied Paul in his travels and went on independent trips to offer support to communities Paul had been in touch with. He became Paul’s closest friend and most faithful follower— he was imprisoned with Paul for two years and Paul entrusted him with his most important tasks.

Paul entrusted the Christian community in Ephesus to Timothy, naming him their first bishop. The Church has preserved two of the letters Paul wrote to Timothy as part of the New Testament. Timothy was martyred around the year 97 for opposing a ritual ceremony in honor of a pagan god. The townspeople paraded around with clubs during the rite, and when Timothy confronted them, they killed him.

Titus was born a Gentile and was converted by Paul, and went on to serve as Paul’s secretary. Like Timothy, Paul sent Titus out to various Christian communities to encourage and support them. Paul eventually established Titus as bishop of Crete, which was a notoriously difficult community, and one of his letters to Titus is preserved in the New Testament. Titus spent most of his life in Crete—he died there at the age of 94.

Relics of both Timothy and Titus rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and the statue of Timothy pictured here stands above an entrance to Howard Hall on campus.

Sts. Timothy and Titus, Paul’s faithful helpers who encouraged growth in the early Church—pray for us!