2 Timothy 4:1-8 / Mark 12:38-44; I have finished the race: I await God’s reward.
In his book Light from the Ancient Past, Jack
Finegan cites a 4,000-year-old Egyptian writing. Called the “Prayer of
Ani,” it is addressed to the 42 gods who must decide Ani’s fate after
death. Excerpts from Ani’s prayer read: “I have not stolen. . . .I
have not played the hypocrite. . . .I have not told falsehoods. . . .I gave
bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothed the naked. . . .Enter no
complaint against me.”
Like Paul, Ani too awaited his final reward. Do we think of death as someone coming to snatch us away, or as Christ coming to embrace us and lead us into the eternal love of the Father? “As the voice of death whispers ‘You must go from earth,’ let us hear the voice of Christ saying ‘You are coming to me!’ ” Norman McLeod
*****
Being curious and adventurous is part of our human
nature.With monotonous routine, boredom will surely set in and we will begin to
look for some excitement in our lives. So in whatever we do, or even in
whatever we eat, we would like to have a variety, and we would like to try out
new things. But when it comes to our religious beliefs, then we must also be
aware that the essentials truths have been revealed to us by Jesus.
In a way, we can say that when it comes to Christianity,
there is nothing new that has not been revealed; maybe just a deeper
understanding of the mystery of faith.
The 1st reading warns us that the time will come when, far
from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest
novelty according to their tastes, and instead of listening to the truth, they
will turn to myths. That was why St. Paul urged Timothy to preach the Good
News, welcomed or un-welcomed, and to insist on it.
To believe in the truth demands that we be faithful to the
Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. So day in, and day out, we have to stay
faithful to the truth we have been taught and to stay on the right
course. Jesus Christ is our only Saviour. Anything or anyone else is just
another temptation.
***
GIVING OUT OF ONE’S POVERTY
Introduction Paul, or the author using Paul’s name,
beseeches Timothy to keep preaching the word of God, in season and out of
season, to be a good minister of the Lord and to give himself, as Paul had
done. Jesus, who lived in the hands of the Father, points out to his disciples
how much a poor widow was living in the hands of God, so much so, that she put
in the treasury for the worship in the temple coins she even needed for her own
living. What a trust and generosity!
Opening Prayer God with the heart of a father and a
mother, you care for the poor, give justice to the oppressed and food for the
hungry. In your Son Jesus, you have shown us not to give only from our surplus
but ourselves. Confound our calculations and change our self-interest into
generous sharing, that our way of giving may be like yours, by not counting the
cost. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Commentary The Letter to Timothy concludes with a
strong exhortation to persevere. As the author has previously stated, the
gospel of God is not chained. It will not be thwarted, but it requires
evangelizers to make its message known. This will not be an easy task. In the
midst of countless difficulties, its bearers will be tempted to withdraw and to
lose patience. It is a saving message, but it is not always welcome. Teachers
will appear with a message enticing enough to lead astray even the believers.
Fables rather than the truth will prove attractive. For his part, the apostle
is self-confident. He has cherished the faith, fought the good fight, and
finished the race. There remains now only the fulfillment of the promise; the
merited crown awaits him. It is a great grace to finish life with the assurance
that the interests of the faith have been served. One leaves behind no
financial inheritance of great worth, no perishable crown. But God’s cause has
been at the center of one’s life. One stands confident before the Jesus Christ
who comes in judgment. As the Gospel tells us today, even the widow’s small
contribution made an important difference. We have received the faith as a
gift, have passed it on, and tried to live the ideals that it proposes. We confidently
hope to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Points to Ponder The gospel for life Perseverance and
fidelity The final reward.
Intercessions Lord, we pray to you for your Church.
Preserve it from the temptation of riches and power, we pray: Lord, we pray you
for widows and orphans. Keep them from despair and make us attentive to their
need for compassion and loving help, we pray: Lord, we pray you for this
community. Make us generous enough to share not only from our abundance, but
also at times from our poverty, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts Loving, generous God, in these
signs of bread and wine, we celebrate how Jesus, your Son, gave himself once
and for all that we might live and love and be free. May we learn from him to
ask not how much we can afford without hurting ourselves but to let him be our
strength to give the best of ourselves and to answer his voice crying out in
everyone in need. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion Generous and loving God, your
Son came to fill with your gifts the poor aware of their emptiness and he
called them blessed. Help us to discover how poor we really are – poor in
faith, in trust, in generous love. Be near to us in your Son, that we may
become available to all and share the best that is in us without any outward
display but in quiet deeds of love and service, as Jesus did, your Son, who
lives with you and with us forever.
Blessing Jesus gave all that he had and was – his
whole self, to bring others life and happiness. Like him, let us not count the
cost of our gifts. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.
