Saints Timothy and Titus

Bishops, Memorial

Other Celebrations for this Day:

Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II

Introduction

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

First Reading

2 Timothy 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

Titus 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

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 Verse

Luke 4:18

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his pay.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

Prayers of the Faithful

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.

REFLECTIONS

 

Call to share the Mission of Christ

Yesterday, on January 25, the Church celebrated the Conversion of Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Today, the Church honours two of Paul’s co-workers. Timothy and Titus were both chosen as bishops during the apostolic era of the early Church. Both received letters from Saint Paul that were included in the New Testament.

Jesus appointed 72 disciples and sent them out ahead of him to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. According to Pope Francis, a Christian who does not move out to proclaim the Gospel has an identity of “not well”.

Rather than sending disciples in pairs, Jesus could have sent one disciple per town, covering 72 towns rather than 36. Then why are they two by two? This may have been Jesus' way of conveying a fundamental Gospel message: that faith is not a solo affair but a communal one.

Christian life is to be lived in, with, and through the Church community. There is no Christian without community. Today we are celebrating the feast of two saints together—Timothy and Titus. No one works alone for the Gospel. Perhaps it is easier and far more convenient to be a solo Christian, for it is often difficult to work with others, especially when their peculiarities, differences of opinion, and attitudes are in conflict with ours.

Jesus had his frustrating moments with his disciples, but he chose to have them share in his work rather than do it all by himself. When we painstakingly navigate challenging moments in the community, we learn to be an authentic Christian community.

As the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus, the Word of God invites us to join the Mission of the Church. The success of our witness does not depend on our skills and capabilities but on our availability and willingness to God’s call. If you fail to participate in the Mission of Jesus, you fail to be his disciple.

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