05 June, 2020. Friday of Week 9

05 June, 2020. Friday of Week 9

St Boniface, bishop and martyr (Memorial)

1st Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Wicked people and impostors, however, will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

Responsorial: Psalm 118:157, 160-161, 165-166, 168

R./: O Lord, great peace have they who love your law

Though my foes and oppressors are countless
I have not swerved from your will.
Your word is founded on truth:
your decrees are eternal. (R./)
Though princes oppress me without cause
I stand in awe of your word.
The lovers of your law have great peace;
they never stumble. (R./)
I await your saving help, O Lord,
I fulfil your commands.
I obey your precepts and your will;
all that I do is before you. (R./)

Gospel: Mark 12:35-37

Jesus explains that David was not the Messiah

While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ‘ David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

Faith nurtured from childhood

Our formation comes first from home and then from our circle of teachers and friends, reinforced by our worship in church. Paul refers to this background when writing to Timothy, “From your infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures.” Earlier he praises the sincere faith of Timothy’e grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. A good start in the family prepared Timothy for his later apostolic ministry.
By contrast today’s gospel, the predominant sense is of regret. Religion has been turned into a business, and the temple into a place for controversy. How easily this can happen if church people are more concerned with unanswerable questions such as the timing of the end of the world rather than on the basic virtues of love, patience, forgiveness, generosity, and prayer.