The 26th of January, 2022, Wednesday is the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops. The Bible scriptures for the holy mass readings for this day came from the 2022 Liturgical Calendar.
Reading 1: 2 TM 1:1-8 or TI 1:1-5
The first reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.
For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God.
or first reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to Titus.
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began; but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you.
Responsorial Psalm: PS 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 7-8A, 10
Response: Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Sing to Yahweh a new song! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth.
Sing to Yahweh! Bless his name!
R: Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Proclaim his salvation from day to day!
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
R: Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Ascribe to Yahweh, you families of nations, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.
Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name.
R: Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns.” The world is also established. It can’t be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
R: Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Gospel of the Day: MK 4:1-20
From the gospel verse according to Mark.
Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching, “Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow.
As he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Others fell into the good ground and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”
He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’_”
He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
The farmer sows the word.
The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”