Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
- Readings for the Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Reading 1 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef
R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven.
Behold, as the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
Alleluia John 11:25a, 26
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mark 12:18-27
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her."
Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled."
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
June 4, 2026 // Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8–15
Reflect on the Word //
The popular Christian song “Love You to Death” by Josiah Queen and Strings and Heart perfectly captures the guilt I sometimes feel as a 21st-century Catholic in the western world. The song talks about wanting to love and follow Jesus but worrying that our faith isn’t as great as that of the early disciples and martyrs, like Saint Stephen or Saint Peter. How can we claim to have faith when it doesn’t cost us what it cost those first Christians?
I often question in the same way: Do I love Jesus fully if I am living a safe, cushiony modern life?
In today’s First Reading, Saint Paul shares his own experience of loving Jesus to death and answers my modern-day question too. From his prison cell in Rome, Paul writes about his sufferings as a follower of Jesus during that time: “Remember Jesus Christ [. . .] such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal” (2 Timothy 2:8). Paul beautifully sacrificed his life for the Lord, yet instead of comparing himself to others, he invites all disciples to live this way with Jesus too: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:11-12). Even if our faith does not incriminate us as it did Saint Paul, we can still choose ways to spiritually die and persevere for Jesus in our lives today.
Sister, what chains or crosses might the Lord be asking you to bear? Let Paul’s words remind us that our modern chains of discipleship are good and holy too, even if they don’t look like first-century incarceration or martyrdom. Let us love Him to death in whatever way He is calling us in our lives today, so that we may live with Him forever in the life to come.
Relate to the Lord // What would it look like to bear your cross for love of Jesus today?
Liz Homick works at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as the loudest and most talkative librarian in the building. Since backpacking Europe in 2023, Liz is a huge advocate of solo travel, finding the cutest little trinkets as souvenirs, and attending Mass in every language imaginable. She loves Old Bay Goldfish, unconditional kindness, half-marathons, and shining brightly despite life’s storms.
