Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops

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, on condition that a man be blameless, married only once, with believing children who are not accused of licentiousness or rebellious. For a bishop as God's steward must be blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents.

Paul’s description of presbyters is one that we all should take to heart. He describes the qualities that Titus should look for in those whom he appoints as presbyters, but also, he describes the qualities that we all should strive for in our lives. We should be blameless. We should be chaste, in marriage or in single life. We should raise children, our own or others, in the faith to the best of our abilities. We should rid ourselves of all arrogance, irritability, intemperance, aggressiveness, and greed. And instead, we should be welcoming, lovers of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled. We should hold fast to the commandments of our Heavenly Father, to the teachings of Jesus, and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. We should proclaim the Good News to all whom we meet each day. We should be true and faithful servants to God so that we can exhort others to better lives and refute those who would lead us astray.

How can we become better servants of God? How can we live out our vocations in alignment with God’s Will? How can we rid ourselves of all the things that keep us from being holy people?

O Lord, grant us your grace so that we might set right what remains to be done.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Our spiritual kinship with Jesus should be at the center of our lives. When we do God’s Will, we proclaim our connection with Jesus and accept him not only as our Lord and Savior, but also as our brother. Just like any relationship, we have to work at it constantly if we do not want to weaken and lose it. As such, we ought to make time every day to spend with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can do this through vocal prayer, silent reflection, and even by the works of charity and mercy we perform for others. God always makes Himself present and available. It is up to us to make time to spend with Him and to listen to His Divine Counsel. And if we do listen, then at the end of our lives, we will be blessed to be brothers and sisters of Christ and faithful heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Do we do God's Will in our lives? How can we build up our relationship with the Holy Trinity? Are we open to receiving God’s Presence into our hearts?

O Lord, you are our spiritual brother. Help us to be more and more like you each day.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.

The unforgivable sin in this gospel is the scribes’ attribution of the good works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Jesus points out to them that if they cannot tell the difference between good and evil then they are doomed to be divided and destroyed. If they cannot see that driving out demons is a good act, then how can they claim to even know what good is? Sometimes we can become so sure of ourselves that we act like the scribes in this gospel and judge other people when we should be seeking to reconcile with them. We should always remember that we condemn the sin, and not the sinner. It is God’s job to determine whether someone is evil or not.

Who are the people in our lives whom we have judged? Have we ever tried to see our relationship or their actions from their point of view? If something is wrong, then how do we condemn the sin, while loving the sinner?

O Lord, let my heart be united with yours and grant me the grace to love even those whom I find most difficult to love.

Amen.