26 Jan – Memorial for Sts. Timothy and Titus, bishops
Timothy’s father was a Greek gentile, his mother Eunice was Jewish. He was converted to Christianity by St. Paul around the year 47. He was a partner, assistant and close friend of Paul. He was a missionary as well, and became head of the Church in Ephesus. He was the recipient of two canonical letters from St. Paul, and was stoned to death in 97 for opposing the worship of Dionysius.
Titus (d. 96) was also a disciple of St. Paul and was the recipient of a canonical letter from him. He was the first bishop of the Church in Crete.
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Titus 1:1-5
From Paul, servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion; and to give them the hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie and so, at the appointed time, he revealed his decision, and, by the command of God our saviour, I have been commissioned to proclaim it. To Titus, true child of mine in the faith that we share, wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our saviour.
The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organised there and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you.
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Luke 10:1-9
The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you”.
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I have always admired my Muslim friends for their greeting of peace to fellow Muslims. It is a gesture that extends the peace of God to fellow brethren and reminds me of the sign of Peace that we exchange just before Holy Communion. Indeed, the fragmented and broken world that we live in is in need of peace.
St. Paul, in today’s first reading, extends to Bishop Titus a greeting of “grace and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Saviour.” Titus and Timothy were St. Paul’s close and faithful companions and became bishops over the faithful in Crete and Ephesus respectively. As bishops and shepherds of the flock of God, they were men of peace and unity amongst the troubles that faced the early Christian church. They put into practice what Christ commanded his apostles in today’s Gospel to be “lambs among wolves”.
We live in a world today that is marked by much persecution from a “culture of death”. Yet it is precisely in such an environment that we need to be examples of peace to those living in the world. Only by living out the value of peace can we genuinely proclaim with all our hearts the message that “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
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We pray that the Holy Spirit enter into our hearts and give us a peace that nothing in the world can give.
We give thanks to the Lord for our Archbishop Nicholas Chia who works tirelessly for the unity of the Archdiocese of Singapore.
Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 27 Jan – Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23; Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
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