Third Sunday after Epiphany
FEAST OF SAINTS
TIMOTHY AND TITUS, BISHOPS
Psalm
27, verse 1:
The
LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my
life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
This
verse is and should be our declaration of faith. Let us commit it to memorization and repeat
it to ourselves daily or when fear and doubt rears its ugly head within our
depths. Doing this will help us trust
the Lord and develop a true relationship of love with the Trinity through
prayer. God will become our sanctuary
and we will be able to put away our fears and rest in the arms of God.
We
will no longer have to pretend that we are not afraid for we will trust the
Lord with our whole being offering our lives, families, time and treasure with
total peace. We will be able to sleep
and awaken easily. The old Navajo adage
will no longer apply to us; you cannot
wake a person who is pretending to be asleep; due to our faith in God.
Through
our reliance in Him we will be able to say with King David, “I believe that I
shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD
with courage; be stouthearted and wait for the LORD.” (Psalm 27:13-14).
Under the traditional
calendar the Church Christ cures the Jewish leper and the Roman centurion's
servant, calling both Jew and Gentile to His flock.
THE Church, knowing that she cannot sufficiently love and praise God,
at the Introit of the Mass invites all angels to praise Him: Adore God, all you
His angels: Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. The
Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad (Ps. xcvi.).
Prayer.
Almighty and eternal God mercifully look upon our infirmities, and
extend the right hand of Thy majesty to help and defend us. Amen.
EPISTLE. Rom. xii.
16-21.
Brethren: Be not wise in your own conceits: to no man rendering evil
for evil: providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the
sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as in you, having peace with all
men. Not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath,
for it is written: Revenge to Me: I will repay, saith the Lord. But if thy
enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him drink; for doing this
thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome by evil, but
overcome evil by good.
What is the meaning of the words, “Revenge to Me: I will repay, saith
the Lord”?
They mean that God alone has the right to revenge. “Are you impatient”,
says St. Ambrose, “then you will be conquered: but do you suffer in patience,
then you will be conqueror.”
What must we do, then, when our honor is attacked?
When an injury by others brings serious consequences upon us, it is not
only permissible, but even a duty, to defend our honor and good name. In
matters of less importance we should leave our assailants to God, according to
the admonition of the Apostle.
Is it wrong to wish our neighbor the evil that he wished us?
Certainly; for it is contrary to the law of God, Who commands us to
love our enemies, to do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that
persecute and calumniate us (Matt, v. 44; Luke vi. 35).
How are we to “heap coals of fire on the heads of our enemies”?
When, according to the will of God, we render good for evil, thereby
confounding our enemies and causing them to burn with shame; St. Augustine says:
You will heap burning coals of love on his head, for nothing sooner begets love
than to meet one with love.
Prayer.
Enable me, O heavenly Father, so to follow these admonitions of St.
Paul in regard to the love of my enemies that I may be Thy child, Who makest
Thy sun to shine upon the evil and upon the good.
GOSPEL.
Matthew viii. 1-18
At
that time, when Jesus was come down from the mountain, great multitudes
followed Him: and behold a leper came and adored Him, saying: Lord, if Thou
wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, stretching forth His hand, touched
him, saying: I will. Be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy was
cleansed. And Jesus saith to him: See thou tell no man: but go show thyself to
the priest and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.
And when He had entered into Capharnaum, there came to Him a centurion,
beseeching Him, and saying: Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
and is grievously tormented. And Jesus saith to him: I will come and heal him.
And the centurion, making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be
healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and
I say to this: Go, and he goeth: and to another: Come, and he cometh: and to my
servant: Do this, and he doth it. And Jesus hearing this, marveled: and said to
them that followed Him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in
Israel. And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and
shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:
but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion:
Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. And the servant was
healed at the same hour.
Why
did the leper say to Jesus, “Lord, if Thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”?
Because
he believed Jesus to be the promised Messiah, Who, as true God, had the power
to heal him. When we pray, we must be careful not to prescribe to God what He
shall give us, but begin by saying, “If it be pleasing to Thee, and
advantageous to me, give me this or that grace.
Why
did Jesus stretch forth His hand and touch him?
So
that he might understand that his leprosy was to be healed. Let us also imitate
the example of Jesus by assisting each other in sickness, not shirking this
work of charity from aversion or excessive delicacy.
Why
did Jesus say, “I will, be thou made clean”?
To
reveal His almightiness, and to show that all things were subject to Him.
Why
did Jesus say, “See thou tell no man”?
To
show His modesty and humility, and to teach us, when we do good works, not to
speak of them, thus losing our reward (Matt. vi. 2, 3).
What
does the Savior mean by saying, Go show thyself to the priest?
1. Christ wished to show His
respect for the law of Moses, for lepers were required to show themselves to
the priests, who were to decide whether they were clean or not. He also teaches
us that priests should receive their proper respect.
2. He reminded him who was cleansed
to give thanks to God by offering the gift which Moses commanded.
What
does the solicitude of the centurion teach us?
That
masters and mistresses should take care of their sick servants and do what they
can to restore them to health.
Why
did Our Savior say, I will come and heal him?
To
show His profound humility, for although He was God, and the Lord of lords, He
did not hesitate to visit a poor servant.
Why
did the centurion say, Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my
roof?
Out
of humility, for he acknowledged Jesus to be Almighty God.
What
is the meaning of the words, “That many shall come from the east and the west,
and shall sit down with Abraham”?
Christ
meant that many unbelievers shall receive the Gospel, and, living according to
it, shall thereby gain the kingdom of heaven, while the Jews, who were the
chosen people of God, shall, for their unbelief and sins, be cast out into the
exterior darkness that is, into the most excruciating pains of hell.
St.
Timothy, born in Galatia in Asia Minor, was baptized and later ordained to the
priesthood by St. Paul. The young Galatian became Paul's missionary companion
and his most beloved spiritual son. St. Paul showed his trust in this disciple
by consecrating him bishop of the great city of Ephesus. St. Timothy was stoned
to death thirty years after St. Paul's martyrdom for having denounced the
worship of the goddess Diana.
St.
Titus, a convert from paganism, was a fellow laborer of St. Paul on many
apostolic missions. St. Paul later made him bishop of Crete, a difficult charge
because of the character of the inhabitants and the spread of erroneous
doctrines on that island. St. Paul's writings tell us that St. Titus rejoiced
to discover what was good in others and drew the hearts of men by his wide and
affectionate sympathy.
Australia
Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from
Britain. On this day in 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip first raised the British
flag at Sydney Cove, marking the British occupation of Australia which has been
claimed 8 years earlier by the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1770. Australia
Day is observed annually on January 26th each year with barbeques and
fireworks. Today, the day gives Australians the opportunity to reflect upon
what it means to be Australian, the history that shaped the nation and the
brighter future that the country has to look forward to.
Australia Day Facts & Quotes
·
In
2015 Australia day coincided with 150th anniversary of Colac's Botanic Gardens.
·
Australia
was originally designed as a penal colony - a place used to exile convicts and
criminals. The first was named the Colony of New South Wales.
·
The
Australian Flag is flown to commemorate this holiday. The flag includes:
The Union Jack, representing historical ties to Great Britain; a large white
seven-tipped star representing the 7 provinces making up the Commonwealth of
Australia; and five white stars in the Southern Cross constellation pattern, a
reminder of their Southern Hemisphere location.
·
The
entire population of Australia (22.3 Million) is less than the population of
Texas (26 Million).
·
There's
an expression in Australia that's called 'Go Bush,' which means to get out of
the city and relax. I try and 'go bush' to places where there's no cell
reception. But I don't get to do that often, so for the most part, it's just a
state of mind. - Cate Blanchett, actress
Australia Day Top Events and Things
to Do
·
Watch
fireworks displays. Some of the grander displays are at Sydney harbor,
Rooty Hill and the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
·
Watch
or attend the Oz Day 10km race in Sydney, Australia.
·
Visit
Hyde Park in Sidney where many Australia day events take place.
·
Attend
flag raising and citizenship ceremonies in Canberra and Perth.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do
the Divine Office giving
your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after SUNSET ON SATURDAY till
Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
[1]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-01-26
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