In the First Reading of today, St. Paul admonished Timothy: “You have in you a Spiritual gift which was given to you…. do not let it lie unused. As we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian today, the Church in the Collect of today’s Liturgy remembers them as ‘diligent shepherds and valiant martyrs’ who spent themselves without reserve for the unity of the Church.

Also, in our gospel reading, a woman’s generosity to the Lord was praised – the poring out of her tears, the wiping of Jesus’ feet with her hair (one of the most precious gift of any woman) and the anointing of Jesus’s feet with ointment. Just as the heroic martyrdom of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian were rewarded with eternity, so also was the woman heroic expression in the face of great criticism was rewarded with the forgiveness of her many sins which could have held her back from eternal bliss.

What have you that you have not received as gift from the Lord? Do not let it lie unused as St. Paul advised. May the Lord grant us the grace given to Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, so that we may ‘bear witness to the truth of the Gospel’ with everything God has bestowed on us. Amen. -Fr Steve

PS Prayers for Timi and Tosin for wedding anniversary and new child.