Memorial of St. Titus and Timothy Bishops

Theme: Sincerity in discipleship

Today the church celebrates the memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus who were bishops. They were both great men and collaborators of St. Paul in some of his missionary journeys. They were of immense help to St. Paul, and there was sincerity and loyalty in their call to discipleship. Their faith in God was unwavering, even when they encountered difficult situations in their missionary endeavours. They were happy about their mission to serve God through service to humanity. This attitude is an invitation to followers of Christ in our own time. They were carrying out their mission whole heartedly, without strings attached. You and I as Christians need to imbibe this same attitude as Disciples of Christ in our own time.

In the 1st reading, we see wonderful words of encouragement coming from St. Paul to Timothy. Wonderful words that are informed by the knowledge Paul had about his collaborators. Simply put, their faith has made them worthy instruments in Gods mission. This is an invitation that you and I have to take up in our call to discipleship, if we truly want to establish Gods kingdom amongst his people.

Jesus in the Gospel sent out seventy of his followers two by two, to every town he intended to visit. Remember, those following Jesus were more than seventy, but he chose them and send them out. This brings me to a very important question, if Jesus were to come back right now; will he choose you as one of those to be sent? He cannot be deceived, he knows us through and through, we need to reflect on the quality of our discipleship.

The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. As children of God, we are all encouraged to do all within our power to contribute towards a rich harvest. May the quality of our discipleship be pleasing to God. Peace be with you.

Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, by Fr. Jude Ifeanyi Ifezime, C.S.Sp