Companions and faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus offer fruit for contemplation of the role of our companions in our journey towards the Realm of God.

What do the books of Timothy and Titus teach us about coping with crisis in the church? https://t.co/hNK1i9mUR8 #Bible #PaulineLetters

— Thinking Faith (@ThinkingFaith) January 26, 2018

The Second Letter to Timothy expresses the importance of a spiritual heritage and tradition to form believers that are deeply connected to our lives.

* [1:4–5] Purportedly written from prison in Rome (2 Tm 1:8, 17; 4:6–8) shortly before the writer’s death, the letter recalls the earlier sorrowful parting from Timothy, commending him for his faith and expressing the longing to see him again.

In the CCCB Gospel selection from Luke, Jesus provides direction for the way in which those sent as missionaries should interact with others.

Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., translates the Gospel message to our mission as disciples today.

So, let me summarize: It’s not just the Twelve who are sent on a mission, and it’s not just the Seventy.  If we’re going to get this message to the world it’s going to take all of us, that whole, big, boisterous crowd of disciples following along behind Jesus.  And this is what we’re going to have to do.  1. Realize what a big job this is, and pray for extra help.  2. Understand that it won’t be easy, but that it is urgent.  3. Don’t wait until you have enough resources: just go!  4. Do the work of a missionary: heal the sick and tell people the Kingdom has come near.  5. Don’t get discouraged; they’re not rejecting you, they’re rejecting God.  Got it?  Good.  Now go.

Andy Alexander, S.J. comments on what God needs from us. (connected to USCCB Gospel reading  MK 4:26-34).

Trust and a cooperative heart anticipate God's creative goodness, all the time - certainly in the darkest and most discouraging times, but also in the day to day. Day to day receptivity to grace is transformative. It sees what I don't see when I'm crabby. It hears hurt and pain in others, who before had only driven me nuts.
God does really care about us, really does desire unity and the "harvest" that comes from our working at little acts of love and heroic sacrifices for the sake of those most in need. All I need to do is remember God's desire and trust that I simply need to cooperate with God's graces and trust in the outcome.

Peter Edmonds SJ explores the texts from the letter to Timothy that stress the role of the piety of family members in forming our openness to God.

The first passage concentrates on the person and background of Timothy. In the verse before our reading begins (1:5), we learn about his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois. Their sound piety was to be a model for his. The Paul who writes the Pastoral letters contrasts with the Paul who roamed the frontiers of theology in Galatians when he justified his missionary methods to Peter (Galatians 2:16) and in Corinthians when he defended his apostleship before those who denied him the title (1 Corinthians 9:1). Here, he is one who passes on sound tradition. His teaching was what Timothy’s grandmother held, and went back to Christ Jesus; it concerned faith and love, and one cannot be more orthodox than that. Our readings omit passages from these letters which speak in fierce terms of the errors of those who tried to push theology forward in unacceptable ways. By laying his hands on Timothy, Paul passed on the traditional faith which he knew and taught, and he expected Timothy to do the same.

Don Schwager quotes Isaac of Nineveh (a Syrian monk, teacher, and bishop), 613-700 A.D. on how God gave us what was most precious.

"The sum of all is God, the Lord of all, who from love of his creatures has delivered his Son to death on the cross. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But his aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us." (excerpt from ASCETICAL HOMILY 74.28)

Fr. Stephen Freeman, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, shares more teaching of Isaac of Nineveh that is particularly resonant with our dualistic separation of good and evil people in society today.

Rebuke no one, revile no one, not even those who live very wickedly.Spread your cloak over those who fall into sin, each and every one, and shield them.And if you cannot take the fault on yourself and accept punishment in their place, do not destroy their character.

Friar Jude Winkler provides background on the religious heritage of Timothy and the role of the Holy Spirit to call forth the Wisdom required as a spiritual leader who may not have the age that is traditionally associated with Wisdom.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes G. K. Chesterton on finding something we prefer to life itself that opens for us a larger field of meaning, purpose and connection.

“It is merely that when a man [sic] has found something which he prefers to life itself, he then for the first time begins to live.” [3] We are all searching for Someone to surrender to, something we can prefer to our small life. Without such a lifeline of love, the span between God and the soul is not bridged. And here is the wonderful surprise: We can surrender to God without losing ourselves! The irony is that we find ourselves in a new and much larger field of meaning. Jesus’ metaphor for that larger field of meaning, purpose, and connection is “The Realm of God.”

The comments on the Scripture today connect us with a range of teachers (Jim Somerville Andy Alexander, S.J. Peter Edmonds SJ Friar Jude Winkler Isaac of Nineveh Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, G. K. Chesterton ) who point to our openness to trust the lead of the Holy Spirit as we pursue that which is preferable to life itself.

References

(n.d.). 2 Timothy, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1

(n.d.). oremus Bible Browser : Luke 10.1-9. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=326230530

(2013, July 11). On the Road with Jesus: The Mission of the Seventy - EthicsDaily.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.ethicsdaily.com/on-the-road-with-jesus-the-mission-of-the-seventy-cms-20923

(2013, September 13). The Letters to Timothy and Titus | Thinking Faith: The online journal of .... Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130913_2.htm

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/