From: 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
Greeting
[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.
Response to Grace
[6] Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you
through the laying on of my hands; [7] God did to give us a spirit of
timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.
St Paul, Herald of the Gospel
[8] Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power
of God, [9] who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in
virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which
he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, [10] and now has manifested through
the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. [11] For this
gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, [12] and
therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have
believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has
been entrusted to me.
Commentary:
1-2. The greeting is like that of 1 Timothy, although now St Paul adds a
specific reference to the purpose of his God-given call to the
apostolate--"according to the promise of the life which is in Christ
Jesus". Christ fulfills all the promises of happiness given to Abraham
and the other Old Testament patriarchs. The purpose of the Gospel
message is to let men know that they have been called to enjoy a new
life in Christ, that is, the divine life whose germ we receive at
Baptism. That sacrament initiates the life of grace in the soul, and
ultimately that life will blossom into eternal life (cf. 1 Tim 1:16;
6:12; Tit 1:2; 3:9).
On the exact meaning of the expression "in Christ Jesus", see the note
on 1 Tim 1:14.
3. "I thank God": this is not a spontaneous expression of gratitude but
rather a permanent disposition of Paul's soul.
St Paul makes the point that his attitude of service and worship is the
same as that of his ancestors, the righteous of the Old Testament, for
although the Gospel is something new it does not involve a break with
the earlier revelation; rather it brings that revelation to fulfillment.
The Apostle pays tribute to the chosen people, not hiding his
satisfaction at being a Jew himself (cf. Rom 9:3; 11:1; Gal 2:15). "The
Church of Christ acknowledges", Vatican II states, "that in God's plan
of salvation the beginning of her faith and election is to be found in
the patriarchs, Moses and the prophets [...]. The Church cannot forget
that she received the revelation of the Old Testament by way of that
people with whom God in his inexpressible mercy established the ancient
covenant [...]. She is mindful, moreover, that the Apostles, the pillars
on which the Church stands, were of Jewish descent, as were many of
those early disciples who proclaimed the Gospel of Christ to the world"
("Nostra Aetate", 4).
6. "The gift of God" is the priestly character which Timothy received on
the day of his ordination. St Paul is using very graphic and precise
language: by the sacrament of Order a divine gift is conferred on the
priest; it is like an ember which needs to be revived from time to time
in order to make it glow and give forth the warmth it contains. St
Thomas Aquinas comments that "the grace of God is like a fire which does
not flow when it is covered by ashes; the same thing happens when grace
is covered over in a person by sluggishness or natural fear"
("Commentary on 2 Tim, ad loc.").
The gifts which God confers on the priest "are not transitory or
temporary in him, but stable and permanent, attached as they are to an
indelible character, impressed on his soul, by which he is made a priest
forever (cf. Ps 109:4), in the likeness of Him in whose priesthood he
has been made to share" (Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 17).
"The laying on of my hands": see the note on 1 Tim 4:14.
7. The gift of God, received in the sacrament of Order by the laying on
of hands, includes sanctifying grace and sacramental grace, and the
actual graces needed for performing ministerial functions in a worthy
manner. The Council of Trent uses this text (vv. 6-7) when it solemnly
defines that Priestly Order is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ
(cf. "De Sacram. Ordinis", chap. 3).
The minister, then, must be courageous in performing his office: he
should preach the truth unambiguously even if it clashes with the
surroundings; he should do so with love, and be open to everyone despite
their faults; with sobriety and moderation, always seeing the good of
souls, not his own advantage. Since the days of the Fathers the Church
has urged priests to develop these virtues: "Priests should be
compassionate", St Polycarp warns; "they should show mercy to all; they
should try to reclaim those who go astray, visit the sick, and care for
the poor, the orphan and the widow. They should be concerned always to
do what is honorable in the sight of God and men. They should avoid any
show of anger, any partiality or trace of greed. They should not be
over-ready to believe ill of anyone, not too severe in their censure,
being well aware that we all owe the debt of sin" ("Letter to the
Philippians", chap. 6).
9-10. There is a theological basis for courageously confronting the
difficulties the Gospel brings with it--the fact that we have been
called by God, who has revealed himself as our Savior. As elsewhere in
these letters (cf. 1 Tim 3:15ff; Tit 3:5-7). St Paul here speaks a
succinct hymn in praise of salvation, probably using expressions based
on some liturgical hymn or confession of faith.
The salvation which God brings about is viewed in this passage as it
applies to Christians (v. 9) and is manifested in the incarnation of
Christ (v. 10). Four essential aspects of salvation are identified:
1) God has already accomplished salvation for everyone; 2) it is God,
too, who calls all men to avail of it; 3) it is entirely a gift: man
cannot merit it (cf. Tit 3:5, Eph 2.8-9), and 4) God's plan is an
eternal one (cf. Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:11).
"The appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ" (v. 10) refers in the first
place to his incarnation (cf. Tit 2:11; 3:4) but it includes his entire
work of redemption which culminates in his appearing in glory and
majesty (cf. 1 Tim 6:14; 2 Tim 4:1, 8). The Redemption has two wonderful
effects--victory over death (physical and spiritual) and the abundant
and luminous gift of everlasting life. "He is the true Lamb who took
away the sins of the world. By dying he destroyed our death; by rising
he restored our life" ("Preface of Easter", I).
"Ages ago": literally, "from the times of the ages", a primitive
expression meaning the same thing as "eternity".
12. "I know whom I have believed": through the virtue of faith we assent
to the truths God has revealed, not on the intrinsic evidence they
provide but on the authority of God, who can neither deceive nor be
deceived (cf. Vatican I, "Dei Filius", chap. 3). The response of faith
is basically a trusting abandonment of oneself into God's hands: "By
faith man freely commits his entire life to God, making 'the full
submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals', and willingly
assenting to the Revelation given by him. Before this faith can be
exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he
must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and
converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy
for all to accept and believe the truth"' (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 5).
"What has been entrusted to me": some commentators think that this
"deposit" is the sum total of the good works and merits the Apostle has
built up over his lifetime. However it is more likely that he is
referring to the body of doctrine which he strives to guard and to teach
to others. It is in that sense that St John Chrysostom interprets it:
"What does this 'deposit' mean? Faith, preaching. He himself who has
entrusted the deposit to me knows how to keep it intact. I suffer as may
be to ensure that this treasure is not snatched away from me. I do not
try to escape whatever evils I have to undergo; I am happy as long as
the deposit is preserved pure and intact" ("Hom. on 2 Tim, ad loc.").
See also the note on 1 Tim 6:20.
"That Day": the day of judgment, when he will be called to give an
account to God. It can refer to both the particular judgment and the
last judgment.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
From: Mark 12:18-27
The Resurrection of the Dead
[18] And Sadducees came to Him (Jesus), who say that there is no
resurrection; and they asked Him a question, saying [19] "Teacher,
Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but
leaves no child, the man must take the wife, and raise up children for
his brother. [20] There were seven brothers; the first took a wife,
and when he died left no children; [21] and the second took her, and
died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; [22] and the seven
left no children. Last of all the woman also died. [23] In the
resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife."
[24] Jesus said to them, "Is not this why you are wrong, that you know
neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? [25] For when they rise
from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are
like angels in Heaven. [26] And as for being raised, have you not
read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said
to him, `I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob'? [27] He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are
quite wrong."
Commentary:
18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus
wants to identify the source of the problem--man's tendency to confine
the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessive
reliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the
power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith;
this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But
it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of
God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make
it impossible to find one's way back to God. We need to approach
Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility
which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which
Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: "Put off your
shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground"
(Exodus 3:5).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland
Oops, my eyes are playing tricks on me. That should be Sts. Marcellinus & Peter in the title! Maybe this will get it changed.......
Reading I 
