St. Timothy and St. Titus

 

The growth of faith is all God’s work

Reflection on Today’s Readings, the Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Friday 26th, 2024
Texts: 2 Timothy 1: 1-8; Psalm 96:1-3.7-8; Mark 4:26-34 

We celebrate, today, two co-workers of apostle Paul. They are St. Timothy and St. Titus. Paul entrusted the church at Ephesus to the care of Timothy and the church at Crete to Titus. They were the products of God’s grace in the life of Apostle Paul. 

Apostle Paul sowed the seed of faith in them while God facilitated the growth. Hence, today, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.” The growth of faith is all God’s work. 

Timothy and Titus remind us that the success of Paul’s missionary work did not come from him alone. Paul nurtured leaders who worked with him and sustained his missionary work. He passed this tradition to his disciples. This is clear in his letter to Titus: “This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I direct you” (1:5) 

We need collaboration to grow the kingdom of heaven on earth

The note in the Roman Missal on the memorial says, “They accompanied Paul in some of his missionary journeys, preached the Gospel with him and helped in establishment and strengthening of several new communities” 

We learn, today, that we need collaboration to grow the kingdom of heaven on earth. Timothy and Titus worked with Paul to grow the kingdom of heaven on earth. It is our work on this earth to grow the kingdom of heaven. 

Hence, Jesus Christ tells us, today, that the kingdom of heaven grows. He says, “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches”. Let us cooperate with the work of the kingdom to grow it.  

Prayer  

O God, who adorned Saints Timothy and Titus with apostolic virtues, grant, through the intercession of them both, that, living justly and devoutly in this present age, we may merit to reach our heavenly homeland. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke