1/26/2012 – Thursday – Memorial Timothy & Titus – 2 Tim 1:1-8

         Today, we celebrate the memorial of Timothy & Titus, two companions of St. Paul on his missionary journeys.  We celebrate this memorial the day after the conversion of Paul.  Timothy later became the administrator of the important community of Christ's followers in Ephesus, while Titus served the Church in Crete. 

         In Paul's letter of 2^nd Timothy, he recalls the importance of the Holy Spirit in the gift of our faith, as well as how our faith has been passed down to us, with Timothy being greatly influenced by the faith of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.  The faith of our fathers and mothers, the faith of our ancestors, lives on in us.  I look at how so many of you in our parish have had their lives of faith greatly influenced by the faith of your parents and grandparents, and how the elders of our parish so influence the faith of our younger members.  Things have not changed since the time of Paul, Timothy, and Titus. 

         Paul exhorts Timothy to stir into flame the gift of God that has been given to him, telling him, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control.”  Truly living our faith and our Christian values in our lives, discerning the will of God for us & trying to follow it – this is stirring into flame the gifts and the blessings that God has given to us. 

         Our lives of faith are not always easy.  Paul and his companions suffered great hardship & persecution for their faith, but their steadfastness, zeal, and the grace of God kept their faith alive.  May the faith of our fathers and mothers, may the faith of the great missionaries such as Paul, Timothy, and Titus, stir the flame within us, keeping our faith alive and vibrant.