STS. TIMOTHY AND TITUS

January 26, 2023

STS. TIMOTHY AND TITUS    

Introduction

Today we celebrate two close associates of the apostle Paul. Paul put them in charge of Christian communities and wrote letters to them to tell them what is expected of leaders of Christian communities, especially how they should be servants and models of the people entrusted to them.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
Saints Timothy and Titus, assistants of St. Paul,
passed on the mighty word of your Son
and tried to live by them.
Give to your Church credible leaders
who lead in living by the word and life of Jesus
Let their words stir our hearts
and bring us the new life
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Reading 2 Tm 1:1-8

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.
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,
so that I may be filled with joy, 
as I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.

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.

OR:

Ti 1:1-5

Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ
for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life 
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.

For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you.

Responsorial Psalm

96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10

R.    (3)  Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
    sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
    among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
    give to the LORD glory and praise;
    give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
    he governs the peoples with equity.
R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Alleluia Ps 119:105

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; 
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, 
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given; 
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Intentions

–   Lord, let the light of our love shine when we are more understanding and friendlier to one another and when we share more readily with those in need, we pray:

–   Lord, let the light of our joy shine on earth when we show more sympathy and affection to one another, when we are faithful to our friendships and concerned about our communities, we pray:

–   Lord, let the light of our faith shine on earth when we, your sons and daughters, live as children of light before you and in the sight of people, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
people entrusted themselves to your Son
because they saw that he was genuine.
Make the ministers of your word
close and available to their people.
May they learn from your Son
to give themselves without regrets
as a piece of bread broken and shared
and a cup of gladdening wine

passed from hand to hand,
together with Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
your Son Jesus has spoken to us here
and broken to us the bread of himself.
Send us leaders who keep reminding us
of his word of life and hope
and of his deeds of saving love.
Let these bring us together
as a community of service
in which your Son is alive
as our Lord for ever and ever.

Blessing

Let your light shine! Or rather, let the light of Christ shine in you, for we are only lights of faith to the extent that we reflect the light of Christ’s message and life. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reflection:

26 January 2023

Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops 

2 Timothy 1:1-8 

Bring Jesus to people wherever you go

Saints Timothy and Titus were companions in the missionary journey of St. Paul. Later they were appointed as Administrators of Communities he had established: Timothy for the Ephesians and Titus for Crete. In Paul's letter he reminds them of the Holy Spirits' gift of faith.

These two are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Paul, and we know a fair amount about how they acted and what they accomplished, but that is not what draws ourattention today. Timothy and Titus were important members of that first generation of bishops, and by their response to the Spirit of Jesus, they began to define what a successor to the apostles should be.

In the passage from the Letter to Timothy, Paul expresses his deep affection for Timothy, his companion on many missions, and a strong desire to see him. He thanks God for Timothy’s faith which he owes to his Jewish mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. At the same time, Paul reminds Timothy of the gift he received when he laid his hands on him. That gift, says Paul, was not one of timidity but one of power, love and self-control, bringing with it the courage of witnessing to the Gospel even when, as in the case of Paul, it involved persecution and suffering. Like Paul, Timothy was to rely “on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy”.

Each of us is sent in our own way, as a priestly people, to mediate Christ to those we live with, by who we are and what we do. Paul's letter written from a Roman prison cell almost 2,000 years ago has travelled far beyond Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus in Turkey.  Paul's personal letter of sincere love and encouragement to teach and model Jesus' " justice, faith, charity,…peace… and mercy"  reaches us today. 

Today, the words of St. Paul invite us to love, to make peace, to bestow justice, and above all to show mercy.