Bishops (First Century)
Their story
+ According to the New Testament Timothy was the child of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, Eunice, who eventually became a Christian. Saint Paul tells us that Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, was also instrumental in Timothy’s growth in the Christian Faith.
+ Timothy became a Christian during Paul’s first missionary journey and was highly recommended to Paul by the Christian community at Lystra.
+ Timothy later traveled to Macedonia, Thessalonica, and Corinth. On two occasions when Paul was imprisoned, Timothy was sent to give him support. According to ancient tradition, Timothy became the bishop of Ephesus.
+ Titus was born to a pagan family and, like Saint Timothy, was a convert of Saint Paul.
+ He accompanied Paul and Barnabas to the Council of Jerusalem, where Paul received official approbation to proclaim the Gospel among the Gentiles.
+ Paul later expressed great trust in Titus as an intermediary in working for peace in the church at Corinth. Tradition relates that Titus later served as bishop of the Christian community in Crete.
For prayer and reflection
“The sources concerning Timothy and Titus highlight their readiness to take on various offices that also often consisted in representing Paul in circumstances far from easy. In a word, they teach us to serve the Gospel with generosity, realizing that this also entails a service to the Church herself.”—Pope Benedict XVI
Spiritual bonus
On this day we also remember Saint Theogenes of Hippo. In his capacity as the third bishop of the city of Hippo (modern-day Annaba, Algergia) he attended a council of Carthage convoked by Saint Cyprian. Around the year 258, he and several of Hippo’s Christians were martyred in a persecution of the Emperor Valerian. He was later celebrated in the writings of his successor Saint Augustine of Hippo.
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.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Father Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
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