Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

Saints Timothy and Titus

Saints and Feasts of the Liturgical Year January 26: SS. Timothy and Titus, Bishops (Memorial)

It is appropriate that the memorial of St. Paul’s two closest collaborators, SS. Timothy and Titus, be liturgically celebrated on the day following the commemoration of St. Paul’s conversion

Saint Timothy was born of a Jewish Mother and Pagan father in modern day South Central Turkey, However, he was never circumcised, but he did read the Jewish Scriptures from the time he was a child

Saint Paul converted his Grandmother, Mother and him when he was a youth. But upon Paul’s arrival back 7 years later he at once saw Timothy’s fitness for the work of an evangelist. He was ordained, and from that time became the constant and much-beloved fellow-worker of Saint Paul. Some of the time he would be sent ahead as a trusted messenger, at another lingering behind to confirm in the faith some recently founded church. Finally, he was made the first Bishop of Ephesus; and here he received the two epistles which bear his name, the second written from Rome, in which Saint Paul from his prison tells of his longing desire to see his “dearly beloved son,” if possible, once more before his death. Saint Timothy himself, not many years after the death of Saint Paul, won his martyr’s crown at Ephesus. A

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Saint Titus was a convert from paganism, also a disciple of Saint Paul, one of the chosen companions of the apostles in his journey to the Council of Jerusalem, the first church council, and his fellow-laborers in many apostolic missions. Saint Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians was delivered by hand by Titus. In the description of Saint Titus it says .... Titus had been commissioned to carry out a twofold office needing much firmness, discretion, and charity. He was to be the bearer of a severe rebuke to the Corinthians, who were giving scandal and were wavering in their faith; and at the same time he was to put their charity to a further test by calling upon them for abundant alms for the church at Jerusalem”.

Can you imagine a worse job … Here take this letter to the Corinthians telling them to shape up … and then ask them for money.

Titus was finally left as a bishop in Crete, and here he, in turn, received the epistle which bears his name, and here at last he died in peace in AD 107 in Gortyn, Crete.

So from these two saints … these two companions of the Apostle Paul we get 3 books of the 27 books in the New Testament;

The First letter to Timothy

The Second Letter to Timothy

and

The Letter to Titus

Gospel of the Day

In the Gospel today we hear about the Seed that grows by itself and then of the Mustard Seed and then of speaking of parables.

One of the early church fathers described the seed that grows by itself this way

“the seed is the word of life, the ground is the human heart, and the sleep of the man means the death of the Saviour. The seed springs up night and day, because after the sleep of Christ, the number of Christians continues to increase”.

But the mustard seed is the smallest seed that grows into a tree that can be 30 feet tall.

Is this not a perfect description of our Faith? It is the word of life … planted in our hearts .... but planted as a small seed … but the rest is up to us! Can we make that seed grow tall? Do we water that seed by continuing to learn about our faith? Or do we grow complacent .... do we grow happy with a 10 foot tree??

Let us always be ready to continue to read, to listen, to learn so that we might have faith and have it abundantly.