January 26, 2010
Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, Bishops
By Beth DeCristofaro
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. (2 Timothy 1:4-5)
(Jesus) said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)
Piety
O Lord, I pray for the grace and the strength to remain faithful to your teachings and to the sacramental life of the Church. Help me to persevere in the commitments and promises I have made to you. Give me the fortitude to live up to the vocation I received in my baptism, to the duties derived from my confirmation in the Spirit, and to the graces received in the other sacraments. Help me to place love of God and service to Him before all else and help me to bring selfless love to my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen. http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/english4/p02892.htm
Study
Whether Paul ever heard the story of Jesus’ response to the crowd in Mark’s gospel or not, he certainly knows the same truth which Jesus speaks: “[W]hoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Paul’s letter to Timothy starts with poignant words from one dear friend to another but also recognition of Timothy’s family: “[A]s I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.”
Over the years I have run into people who were taught by my father, a teacher in Arlington schools and have relished hearing how much my dad meant to them. I’ve met friends of my mother who have told me what a difference in their lives she made. These stories warm my heart that someone else shares such feelings about my parents and I am happy to be of their family. I am sure that Timothy appreciated reading Paul’s opening words and that he knew that Lois and Eunice would be proud of him for his willingness to witness and “bear (his) share of hardship for the Gospel” as Paul stated. Indeed, Timothy was martyred for his witness to the Gospel.
These readings point to the communal nature of our call to follow and witness to Christ. We do not follow Jesus in isolation. Jesus encouraged all to follow God through him as part of God’s family. And Jesus not only did not limit that family but asked his followers to bring “to the ends of the earth” the Word of the Father. He asked his followers to not only throw open the doors that all people learn of and believe in God, but to accept hardship and persecution in doing so. The family of God must be of hardy stock. But then the root stock, being both human and divine, passes on an enduring resiliency to those who are his brothers and sisters. It is in community that we seek the fullness of God’s revelation in the world. We are invited in and tasked to speak our witness to the community of the world.
Action
Would Jesus say I was his brother or sister? Do I exclude people from God’s family because I disagree with their politics, actions or religious beliefs? Can I let God determine who is of God’s family while I hold open doors for them to join by modeling the extravagant love which is an essential dynamic of God’s family and the community of Church? Do I practice and look for selfless love?
