Memorial of Saint Timothy and Saint Titus, bishops

Today's Mass Readings

Today is the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. St. Paul saw both Timothy and Titus as spiritual children. In some way the shape of their faith and the positions they held within the church were a result of St. Paul’s ministry among them. They are both carrying on St. Paul’s ministry. In the first option for the first reading for today, from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy, we catch a glimpse into another important means of carrying on the faith and helping the faith grow. In a line that is easy for many to pass over almost unnoticed, St. Paul writes to Timothy, “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 1:5).

Lois is likely the initial convert in this family. It is Lois the Christian matriarch of Timothy’s family who appears to have passed on the faith to her daughter Eunice, and Eunice who likely taught it to her son Timothy. This is an example of the family as a domestic church. The living faith of Lois survived to Timothy, her grandson, who became a bishop in the Catholic Church and eventually won the martyr’s crown by being stoned to death.

It is often difficult for us to anticipate the kind of impact our own faith can have on others, and we are called upon to allow our faith to make such an impact. Lois and Eunice are witnesses for us of the important role our faith can play in our own homes. We need to set an example of faith for others in our homes, regardless of our relationship, whether we are a child, a sibling, a spouse, or a parent. This is especially important for parents. Our homes should nurture faith.

Perhaps we can set aside some time today to think about ways in which we can better transform our homes into fertile gardens where Christian faith may grow. No matter how spiritually healthy our homes already are, there’s always room for improvement, even in monasteries. At the other end of the spectrum, if we feel like failures, let’s remember the example of another saintly mother, St. Monica, partly on account of whose prayers her son St. Augustine was converted. What our children or other family members do is not in our total control. We can always pray, as St. Monica did, and doubtless as Lois and Eunice did. Let’s ask for the intercession of Lois, Eunice, and Sts. Timothy and Titus, and St. Paul, to help our homes be places where faith may spring forth in abundance.

- Jeff Morrow