Today we celebrate the feast of the first century companions and friends of St. Paul; Timothy, who was a bishop in Lystra in Asia Minor, and Titus, who was of Greek origin. They were the overseers of the churches of Ephesus and Crete, respectively, and recipients of the pastoral epistles written by St. Paul. In those epistles, Timothy was reminded of the Spirit bestowed upon him, and Titus was prompted to be resolute to the mission entrusted to him to proclaim the Goodnews.
After those moments of Christmas and New Year festivities, we are back to our normal routine. This month of January is about to end, and some of us are excited to look forward to, and are in anticipation of, Valentine’s Day. When you go to the malls, you will find so many Valentine’s cards and various gifts for our loved ones. Preparing to give something on Valentine’s Day to someone means we want to express our care and our love to our parents, teachers and dear friends near and far.
I am sharing this with you because this is precisely the first reading taken from St. Paul to Timothy. St. Paul shows how he cares for a friend as he expresses his affection for his dear and trusted friend Timothy. St. Paul writes: “As I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day, I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith.” St. Paul also tells Timothy: “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.”
I am inspired to reflect on these words from St. Paul. It is good to reconnect with friends and to let them know how much I appreciate them. I always find time to share by writing, calling them thru cellphone or fb messenger to support them in living their faith. It is nice to find God in every human relationship.
How do we persevere in connecting with our friends?
First, St. Paul says, “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God.” This reminds us of our daily challenges of practicing prayerful discernment or making our conversations more meaningful by allowing the gift of God to stir us in order to be supportive in our journey towards God. Our role is to strengthen and build a trusting friendship.
Second, St. Paul says, “So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord.” In being a friend, classmate, co-worker, and family member, always be trustworthy. If we fail making a difference in our life, then we miss the point of appreciating the gifts of grace, mercy and peace from God the Father. We are not open to the abiding friendship in God that Paul and Timothy shared.
Third, today and every day, I pray for inspiration to proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to others, especially to my friends, in the way I act and relate to them. To attain this, I believe that it speaks to me the importance of taking time, through prayer and quiet meditations, to sustain my personal relationship with Him, which for me is very challenging living in this noisy world.
In conclusion, I want you to focus on eternal salvation promised to us by Jesus, and not allowing the focus to be solely on selfish earthly need. In the gospel today, Jesus then gives the disciples instructions for this journey. He tells his disciples to pack lightly for the journey. They should not take any money, luggage, or sandals. Jesus tells them they are to trust that God will provide for them. I wonder how the disciples reacted to Jesus’ words. Maybe to make sure some would bring something extra just in case they would need something. My understanding is that “taking nothing with you” means to take only the Good News of Jesus; that is what we need to share.
Today, what is the good news of Jesus that you want to share today?
Saints Timothy and Titus, pray for us.
Fr. Arlon, osa
