20260603 ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THOSE IN MINISTRY
3 June 2026, Wednesday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Timothy 1:1-3,6-12 |
God's gift is the Spirit of power, love and self-control
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers. That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy – not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the Appearing of our saviour Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality through the Good News; and I have been named its herald, its apostle and its teacher.
It is only on account of this that I am experiencing fresh hardships here now; but I have not lost confidence, because I know who it is that I have put my trust in, and I have no doubt at all that he is able to take care of all that I have entrusted to him until that Day.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 122(123):1-2 |
To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens;
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
Like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
till he show us his mercy.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn11:25, 26 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 12:18-27 |
The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob is the God of the living
Some Sadducees – who deny that there is a resurrection – came to him and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?’
Jesus said to them, ‘Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.’
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THOSE IN MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Tim 1:1-3, 6-12; Ps 123:1-2; Mk 12:18-27]
The First Reading is a letter addressed personally to Timothy, whom Paul calls his “dear child”. This letter is also addressed to the entire Church. Timothy was Paul’s trusted lieutenant and spiritual son, appointed as the first overseer (bishop) of the church in Ephesus. He was entrusted with the task of governing the church there, and, more specifically, maintaining sound doctrine, as he had to confront false teachers. St Paul was a missionary of the Gospel, rather than a pastor, and his primary concern was to spread the Good News to as many people as possible, having been named “its herald, its apostle and its teacher.”
There is a real difference between being a missionary and a pastor. A missionary plants the seed of the Gospel. He seeks to inspire faith in the hearts of listeners so that they are motivated to live out the Gospel more zealously. However, attending a rally, conference, or retreat is but the beginning of living out the Christian life. The real challenge comes when we try to put those teachings into practice – when we start to apply them to concrete situations, then we will realise how difficult it is because we face different circumstances and challenges. Indeed, the work of a pastor is uniquely challenging because he has to deal with the different opinions, lifestyles, and needs of the community.
As a pastor of the church, Timothy’s situation could have been worsened by the circumstances he was in, and the people were not responding to the demands of the Gospel. Paul wrote him this pastoral letter to encourage him in his ministry. He began by wishing him “grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.” In this blessing, Paul reminded Timothy of the grace of God to the undeserving, mercy to those who are helpless, and peace to those who are restless.
Firstly, Paul calls to mind that our service is ultimately to God and that it is in continuity with the service of our ancestors. We must never forget that the work we do today is but an act of gratitude to those who came before us. We are all passing on the tradition, especially the faith we have received through them. This faith should never be taken for granted, considering the sacrifices they made to hand it on to us intact. On our part, we must return this gratitude by passing on this gift of faith to others. Paul demonstrated his gratitude by praying for Timothy and all those to whom he had entrusted the faith and mission.
Secondly, Paul reminded Timothy to “to fan into a flame the gift” that God gave him when Paul laid hands on him. How true it is that most of us do not develop the grace we have received, especially through the Sacraments conferred on us! When we receive the grace for an office, mission, or vocation, that gift requires our cooperation. Whether it is the grace of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, or Matrimony, we must make use of it. To “fan into a flame” the gift means deepening our faith and love for God and the mission or task He has appointed us to do. It means to keep alive what was entrusted to us. Unfortunately, many of us take this grace for granted after the initial appointment, and the fire eventually dies down – whether it is love for our work, our mission, or the care of the people of God and our families. There is always a real danger that we begin our office with much keenness and enthusiasm, but along the way, because of routine, difficulties, or opposition, we lose momentum and passion.
Thirdly, Paul reminded Timothy that “God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control.” This is true for all the Sacraments, especially Holy Orders and Matrimony. Timothy was young and perhaps weak and timid, but he was called to stand tall in the power of the Spirit. Although he had the inner ability to lead, he was being weakened by discouragement and fear. To overcome timidity and act with confidence, he needed to allow the Holy Spirit to empower him. Without courage, we cannot carry out the work of God. This courage comes from a continual consciousness of Christ’s presence, cultivated through constant prayer.
Fourthly, Paul instructs Timothy that so long as we are timid and fearful, we are not ready to suffer with and for Christ. Paul offers himself as an example of one who is ever ready to suffer shame for Christ. “So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy.” Only with the power of God can one suffer courageously for the Gospel. When we reflect on what He has done for us by saving us and calling us to be His apostles, we will find courage and confidence.
This is why Paul, after exhorting Timothy to take courage and suffer for Christ and the Gospel, told him to rely “on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy – not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace.” Indeed, our salvation and calling is due to the power of God at work in our lives. Without His grace, we would not be able to respond to His mercy and calling. In Jesus, God has demonstrated His power to save through His Passion, death and Resurrection. “This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the Appearing of our saviour Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality through the Good News; and I have been named its herald, its apostle and its teacher.”
Accordingly, Paul – who was very focused on his mission and always grateful for the grace of God given to him – placed his full confidence in God. For Paul, to be appointed to be His herald, apostle, and teacher was both a great privilege and a duty. “It is only on account of this that I am experiencing fresh hardships here now; but I have not lost confidence, because I know who it is that I have put my trust in, and I have no doubt at all that he is able to take care of all that I have entrusted to him until that Day.” It is worth noting that when Paul was writing this, he was in prison awaiting trial and execution. Paul was happy to suffer because he understood the greatness of the Gospel for the benefit of humanity.
Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus reminds us to be grounded in the Word of God so that we may remain firm in our faith. The Sadducees challenged Him on His doctrine of the resurrection, citing the Mosaic Law regarding a man marrying his brother’s childless widow to raise up children for his brother. To make the concept of the resurrection look ridiculous, they asked Jesus whose wife she would be at the resurrection.
Jesus rested His argument on the Word of God – pointing out that their logic was flawed to start with because they did not know the meaning or basis for faith in the resurrection. He said to them, “Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God?” Firstly, “when they rise from the dead, men and woman do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven.” In the next life, we will love each other like brothers and sisters with the love of God. Secondly, Jesus affirms that the God we worship is a God of the living; not of the dead: “Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead but of the living. You are very much mistaken.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
