The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live the life that we profess as Baptized Christians of self control and duty to serve others.
The reading from the Letter to Titus exhorts us to teach sound doctrine for Christian behavior that leads to transformation of Life.
* [2:1–10] One of Titus’ main tasks in Crete is to become acquainted with the character of the Cretans and thereby learn to cope with its deficiencies (see Ti 1:12). The counsel is not only for Titus himself but for various classes of people with whom he must deal: older men and women (Ti 2:2–4), younger women and men (Ti 2:4–7), and slaves (Ti 2:9–10); cf. Eph 6:1–9; Col 3:18–4:1.
* [2:11–15] Underlying the admonitions for moral improvement in Ti 2:1–10 as the moving force is the constant appeal to God’s revelation of salvation in Christ, with its demand for transformation of life.
* [2:13] The blessed hope, the appearance: literally, “the blessed hope and appearance,” but the use of a single article in Greek strongly suggests an epexegetical, i.e., explanatory sense. Of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ: another possible translation is “of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 37 is an exhortation to Patience and Trust.
* [Psalm 37] The Psalm responds to the problem of evil, which the Old Testament often expresses as a question: why do the wicked prosper and the good suffer? The Psalm answers that the situation is only temporary. God will reverse things, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked here on earth. The perspective is concrete and earthbound: people’s very actions place them among the ranks of the good or wicked. Each group or “way” has its own inherent dynamism—eventual frustration for the wicked, eventual reward for the just. The Psalm is an acrostic, i.e., each section begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section has its own imagery and logic. (Psalms, PSALM 37 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke urges us to adopt the attitude of a Servant.
* [17:7–10] These sayings of Jesus, peculiar to Luke, which continue his response to the apostles’ request to increase their faith (Lk 17:5–6), remind them that Christian disciples can make no claim on God’s graciousness; in fulfilling the exacting demands of discipleship, they are only doing their duty. (Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)
Steve Scholer comments that in today’s world of equals, maybe ALL of us should focus not just on the words that align with our gender, but on the entire passage. Perhaps each group should strive to follow the guidelines set forth for both women and men – the proverbial what is good for the goose is good for the gander idiom.
As we further reflect on the reading, maybe Paul himself is pointing us in that very direction when he concludes his separate lists of worthy attributes with the words, For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope.
Today, as we do our daily Examen of Conscience, let us focus on the last few words of the First Reading, eager to do what is good, and strive to see and feel God’s watchful eye and presence in all we do. And to remind ourselves that whether we are male or female, we ALL need to be eager to do what is good, because doing so demonstrates our faith in action. (Scholer, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “We are called to humble service,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"You do not say to your servant, 'Sit down,' but require more service from him and do not thank him. The Lord also does not allow only one work or labor for you, because so long as we live we must always work.
"Know that you are a servant overwhelmed by very much obedience. You must not set yourself first, because you are called a son of God. Grace must be acknowledged, but nature not overlooked. Do not boast of yourself if you have served well, as you should have done. The sun obeys, the moon complies (Joshua 10:12-13; Baruch 6:60), and the angels serve... Let us not require praise from ourselves nor prevent the judgment of God and anticipate the sentence of the Judge but reserve it for its own time and Judge." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 17.7-10) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 asks why does St Paul change his formula here to faith, love, and endurance? To understand this, let’s think about what hope is. The spiritual gift of hope is more than wishful thinking; it is an active trust in the living God.
Paul also talks about the grace of God “training us . . . as we await the blessed hope” of our lives: “the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13). Grab hold of that hope today! Let it strengthen you and teach you how to endure. Filled with confident hope in the faithfulness of God, may you never lose sight of his promises!
“Father, thank you for the gift of hope, which strengthens me to endure all things!” (Meditation on Titus 2:1-8, 11-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the Titus passage urges us to live in a humble gentle way so that our lives do not contradict what we say. The reward for our service is the ability to serve. Friar Jude reminds us that God gives us an opportunity to give of ourselves as the Way to share His Love with others.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, has become increasingly convinced that we need a worldwide paradigm shift in Christian consciousness for how we relate to God. Thomas Kuhn said that a paradigm shift becomes necessary when the previous paradigm becomes so full of holes and patchwork “fixes” that a complete overhaul—which once looked utterly threatening—now appears as a lifeline.
A few weeks back a friend asked me, “When you speak of the need for a paradigm shift, what is the primary shift that you are talking about?” Admittedly, there was much I could have offered, but I shared that the most significant shift in our view of God is the move beyond the reward/punishment paradigm.
In my first years of preaching in the 1970s, I often told a Sufi-inspired story called “The Angel with the Torch and the Pail.” The story goes like this:
An angel was walking down the streets of the world carrying a torch in one hand and a pail of water in the other. A person asked the angel, “What are you doing with that torch and pail?”
The angel said, “With the torch I am burning down the mansions of heaven, and with the pail I am putting out the fires of hell. Then, and only then, will we see who truly loves God.”
Operating with love as the source, not fear of punishment or even promise of reward, is a radically different Christian paradigm. To do this takes an experience of love from the Infinite One. Then you are free to love others and even to truly love yourself. The most loving people I have met across the world in my lifetime of teaching and travelling all seemed to know that if love is the goal, it must be love for everybody. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the nature of our duty as followers of Christ and implore the Spirit to increase our self control and self giving as we live in His Way.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?7
Meditation on Titus 2:1-8, 11-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/11/12/1127186/
Psalms, PSALM 37 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/37?3
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-special-note-from-fr-richard-a-worldwide-paradigm-shift/
Scholer, S. (2024, November 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111224.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=nov12
Titus, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/titus/2?1
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