We have a double celebration today with the feasts of Sts. Timothy and Titus – both co-workers and helpers of St. Paul in the infancy years of the Church. In order for St. Paul to effectively and efficiently do his work: in establishing local Christian communities, and then administering to their spiritual needs for a while after their founding, he needed help. Spiritually devout, holy, energetic men and women were chosen for the task: two such, were Timothy and Titus.
Paul's subsequent letters to both of them became part of the canon of scripture itself. Our first reading today was from his letter to Timothy in which he 1) reiterates the very close spiritual bond of grace, mercy and peace that he has with him which is from the Lord Jesus himself; 2) acknowledges the value of religious education as a family event: outlining how he knew personally that Timothy's faith came directly from that of his mother Eunice, and grandmother Lois; 3) reminds Timothy to keep the gift of faith and the desire to serve God's people alive – come what may – by stirring it daily into flame again each morning by prayer and then hard word.
Timothy responded and worked tirelessly with and for Paul – especially by becoming the first bishop of Ephesus. Titus did the same – becoming the first bishop of Crete.
The relationship of Timothy and Titus to Paul then demonstrates for us how the early Church began to spread to the Gentiles; and also how the "apostolic line of succession" began to be formulated and passed on. While nothing of what we know of as an "ordination rite" for bishops took place until around the year 150 – the task of preaching and teaching and guarding the Truth: the deposit of faith – given by Jesus to the original 12 Apostles with Peter as Coordinator of them – was most assuredly passed on by the apostles to co-workers and presbyters (priests). It was they who "held the line" (so to speak) until the development of "ordaining local bishops for a limited geographic area: diocese" came into being. This line then did stay intact in that familiar format until the present day!
What is important here is that the Truth, and the practice of the sacramental reality of the Church has been preserved from the very beginning: the days of the Apostles being with Jesus, and the days of their missionary journeys and works after that.
The gospel passage today tells us that the work that the shepherds do may not always make them popular or be easy: but if they use as their primary weapon the "PEACE" of Christ – which is amazingly simple and disarming – which was his first gift to the Apostles on the night of Easter – after they had disowned him and ran away from him in his greatest hour of need – some pretty disarming and powerful things can happen even today.
It is up to the bishops and helper priests and the entire lay faithful to make that "peace of Christ" known and available in all venues of society: beginning with ourselves, our families, with our acquaintances: then to as many others as possible. It is possible to make a difference in the world – especially now, when it needs it most!
Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations!
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