Reflection
Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5
Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
Mark 3:22-30
“Why are we praying for people we don’t even know?” my grandchildren asked, because as we drove past a hospital, I asked them to join me in praying a Hail Mary for the people inside. A great conversation ensued about the family of God, that we are all his children, brothers, and sisters, and that some people have no one to pray for them.
Why do I bring this up? Well, today is the memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, and it is an important day in the calendar of my family’s history; my Father’s given name was Timothy, and both of his parents died on this day, before I was born. My grandmother was a holy woman by all accounts; I wish I had the chance to meet her, and yet, somehow, I am certain that her faith and her prayers have influenced, protected, and covered me all of my life.
In the first reading, we hear in the letter to Timothy, love and encouragement from Paul, who is writing, and advising the young disciple, from imprisonment. In it, he reminds Timothy of ‘the sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother, Eunice, and that I am confident lives also in you.’ This reading always makes me wonder about the faith and prayers of my own grandmother.
As parents, and especially as grandparents, we can never underestimate the influence we have over our family members. Our children are drawn closer to us and to Jesus, as we model prayer and unconditional love. Our little grandchildren are more likely to sit and listen to us, accepting our prayer time as precious quiet time with us. We have more time to teach them and encourage them in the faith, to stir up the gift of God, unashamedly proclaiming him, as we share our love of God with them, pray with them, using ordinary everyday moments, like driving past a hospital, as opportunities to model prayer and love of neighbor. And as they grow, our presence, even long distance, is important; we can send messages and videos that remind them of our daily prayers, as they face the temptations and conflicting messages of the secular world.
In the gospel, Jesus takes the scribes to task for their ridiculous accusation that he was driving out demons by the power of Satan, and he reminds them that a house divided cannot stand. He goes on to establish that only an unprotected house can be breached.
Today, let us remember that we, like Timothy, have been given a spirit of power to protect the houses of our families with faith, prayer, and with the example of our lives. As Paul reassured Timothy, our sincere faith will live on in our children and our grandchildren.