letter to remain faithful even if such steadfastness entails “suffering for the gospel” (1:8).
Today, not only do church leaders need to remain faithful, “relying on the power of God” (1:8), but all Christians need to hear this exhortation. In a culture that dictates that one can do whatever he or she feels like, faithfulness to the way of life of the gospel often takes a back seat. Likewise, faithfulness to prayer “night and day” (1:3) has become once a week for an hour on Sunday—if that. Faithfulness in bearing witness to the Lord often means rejection for following a code of ethics that illustrates “a holy calling” (1:9) instead of a greedy one. Celebrating the memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus serves as a call to all of us to examine our degree of faithfulness.
Meditation: In what specific ways are you faithful to the Christian holy calling?
Prayer: We give thanks to you, Mighty God, for Sts. Timothy and Titus, co-workers of St. Paul, and examples of faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. Make our faith even more sincere; fill us with your Spirit of power, love, and good judgment. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Adult Education
(2) Titus 1:1–5
Scripture: “I [, Paul,] left you [,Titus,] behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you . . .” (Titus 1:5).
Reflection: There is no doubt that Paul had an associate named Titus. Some of the genuine Pauline letters mention Titus, especially 2 Corinthians, in which Paul refers to him as his “partner and co-worker” (8:23). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul indicates that he “went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along” (2:1). In the same letter, he also indicates that Titus was “a Greek” (2:3).
However, most biblical scholars do not think that Paul wrote the letter to Titus. The letter betrays a time long after Paul is dead. It is written in Pauline style and contains Pauline ideas, but it presumes a developed church that did not yet exist during Paul’s lifetime. It is best to understand Titus in the letter written to him as any leader of a church near the end of the first century and the beginning of the second century AD facing false teachers. In other words, the letter presents an orderly way of life that can be applied to any follower of Christ dealing with falsehood.
Today’s memorial identifies Titus as a bishop, because in the last verse of the pericope from Paul’s letter to Titus, the apostle tells him to “appoint elders in every town” (1:5). Elders, who ultimately come to be known as priests, are appointed as pastors of parishes by bishops. Thus, Titus is identified as a bishop. In fact, in verses not included in this passage, the author mentions the characteristics (1:7–9) of a good “bishop” (1:7). This structure reflects a church well into the second century.
The words addressed to Titus are, fittingly, addressed to us today. All Christians are responsible for advancing “the faith of God’s elect” (1:1). We do this primarily through the lives we lead. Later in this letter, the author presents detailed instructions for older men, older women, young men, young women, and slaves.
Also, Christians are responsible for advancing “knowledge of the truth” (1:1). We know this as adult education. We live in a time when many Catholics don’t know the basics of their faith. Thus, the study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Bible, the sacraments, and other Church documents is essential for understanding our “hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (1:2).
As the author of the letter mentions, this is “the faith we share” (1:4). It is not a personal faith, though belief begins with each individual person. The Church is one, holy, universal, and apostolic. Every Sunday we express that common faith in the Profession of Faith, also known as the Nicene Creed. Without adult education, it is easy for an individual me-and-Jesus attitude to develop instead of a community all-of-us-and-Jesus understanding. Celebrating the memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus gives all of us the occasion to examine our growth in advancing our faith through our understanding of it.
Meditation: In what specific ways do you live and learn about our common faith?
Prayer: Ever-living God, you never leave your Church unattended, but appoint for her leaders who will guide your people in the one common faith and teach them knowledge of the truth. Raise bishops and priests to serve your Church in faithfulness. Give them the courage to proclaim the revelation of your Word, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
February 22: Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle
Peter’s Successor
1 Peter 5:1–4
Scripture: “. . . [W]hen the chief shepherd appears, you [, elders,] will win the crown of glory that never fades away” (1 Pet 5:4).
Reflection: The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter has nothing to do with a physical chair. The name of the feast refers to the authority of the man who sits in Peter’s chair to teach, sanctify, and govern the Church: the pope, the bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter. The passage from the first letter of Peter is chosen for this feast because it portrays the writer of the letter exhorting “the elders . . . to tend the flock of God that is in [their] charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have [them] do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly” (5:2). Elders, who ultimately come to be known as bishops in the Church, are told not to lord their authority over those in their charge, but to be “examples to the flock” (5:3).
Today’s passage from the first letter of Peter contains the household duties of elders or local Church leaders at the end of the first century or the beginning of the second century AD. Lists of household duties are common in documents written at this time. The anonymous author writes in the name of “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1), who claims authority to write the letter as “a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed” (5:1).
In the Catholic Church, the pope as Peter’s successor serves as head of the universal Church. The bishops, successors of the apostles, are united under the primacy of the pope in order to tend the faithful who have been placed in their care. Teaching or preaching the gospel and maintaining its truth is the primary way the pope and bishops keep the Church united in matters of faith and morals. This teaching role is exercised in ecumenical councils, synods, and pastoral letters.
Both through the bishops of the Church and directly, the pope exercises his sanctifying office. Through prayer and sacraments, the faithful are built into greater unity. This occurs on a parish level under the leadership of priests and deacons and on a diocesan level under the leadership of the local bishop.
And the pope, directly and through the bishops, exercises his governing office through councils, exhortations, and example. This occurs on a parish level under the leadership of the pastor in consultation with a parish council and a finance council. On a diocesan level, the bishop’s governing takes place after consultation with a diocesan pastoral council, a presbyteral council, staff meetings, etc. When the chief shepherd, Christ, appears, all hope to win the crown of glory that never fades away.
In a time when the slogan is “No one is going to tell me what to do,” the exercise of the papal offices of teaching, sanctifying, and governing are severely criticized because the pope calls Catholics to be different, to stand for religious values. When the secular world gives its assent to a man and woman living together before marriage, the Church,
