20220126 MENTORING MISSIONARY DISCIPLES
26 January, 2022, Wednesday, Ss Timothy and Titus
First reading | 2 Timothy 1:1-8 © |
Fan into a flame the gift God gave you
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in you as well.
That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 95(96):1-3,7-8,10 © |
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim his help day by day,
tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Give the Lord, you families of peoples,
give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the peoples in fairness.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk4:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:1-9 © |
Your peace will rest on that man
The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’
MENTORING MISSIONARY DISCIPLES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 TIM 1:1-8 OR TIT 1,1-5; PS 96:1-3,7-8,10; LK 10:1-9]
Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus who were bishops in the Christian community. The gospel taken from the sending of the seventy-two disciples underscores the fact that whilst not all are called to be apostles of our Lord, all are called to be missionary disciples. Apostolic calling is a special vocation but it does not mean that other Christians are exempted from the work of witnessing and evangelization. For this reason, the calling of the Twelve apostles in the gospel is complemented with the appointment of the seventy-two. Like the apostles, they were also sent out “ahead of him in pairs to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.” The work of the seventy-two was to prepare the way for Christ to come in their midst. So too, for us all as well. Every baptized Christian is to prepare the way for people to come to know Christ through our witnessing so that Christ can fulfil their lives, give them meaning and purpose.
But before we can become missionary disciples, we need to be mentored. The scripture readings show how the disciples of Christ were mentored by our Lord and St Paul to be missionary disciples. But mentoring is not just the work of apostles but also the work of everyone, especially those who are more mature in the faith. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, St Paul mentioned the importance of our elders in imparting the faith. He wrote, “Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in you as well.” The growing faith of Timothy was not just the work of St Paul but also his mother and grandmother. They had planted the seed of faith in him and St Paul grew the seed of faith. Unless we have mentors to guide us, we will not make good and effective pastors, evangelizers and missionaries for Christ.
Mentoring requires that we are given proper guidance and clarity of mission and vision. St Paul’s letter to Titus gives us the objective of our mission. St Paul wrote that he is “an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion; and to give them the hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God.” It is our task to bring all to the knowledge of the truth and most of all, the hope of eternal life. Paul makes it clear that the purpose is for the salvation of all and their spiritual growth as well. So this work of witnessing is more than just planting the seed of faith but producing strong, mature and fruitful Christians who live in truth and charity.
Mentoring requires that we give proper guidance as to how the work of evangelization is to be accomplished. Firstly, from our Lord’s perspective, we must labour in view of advancing the number of labourers and not just concerned about making conversions. When our Lord appointed the seventy-two, He said to them, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” In giving them this exhortation, Jesus was delineating the close relationship between labourers and the harvest. The success of the harvest is dependent on labourers. However, labourers eventually come from the harvest. In other words, when the messengers of the Lord reach out to those who do not know Christ, they will not just make conversions or new disciples but they will also increase the pool of labourers. The truth is that true disciples of Christ cannot but also become labourers in the vineyard after their conversion. Hence, the close relationship between the labourers and the harvest. The more radical conversions we make, the larger the pool of labourers.
Secondly, this mission must be undertaken with prayers and trust in the Lord. This is why, all apostolic work must begin with prayer and rooted in prayer. Jesus told the disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest. Only the Lord can bring about more labourers for the harvest. It is not about we working for the Lord but allowing the Lord to work through us. We must never think that the Lord owes a debt to us for the hard work and efforts we have put in. Without His grace, hearts will not be touched or moved. Without His grace, no miracles or conversion will take place. So we must never undertake the work of evangelization or witnessing or Christian service without seeking the Lord’s blessing and prayers.
Thirdly, missionary disciples must be conscious that they are sent. They are to deputize and represent the Lord’s presence to others. The Lord reminded them, “Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ Cure those in it who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’.” Indeed, the missionary disciple is called to be messengers of peace and healing. They are called to bring peace, to reconcile men with men, and men with God. They are to bring healing of hearts, mind and body. But this is something they cannot do themselves. Only the Lord can work in and through them. This is also the reason why the Lord told the seventy-two, “Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals.” This mission must be totally dependent on the Lord. Unless people can see that God works through us and in us, they will end up worshipping us instead of being directed to God Himself. As missionary disciples, we remain merely servants of our Lord.
Fourthly, missionary disciples of our Lord must offer the gospel as a gift without imposition or any form of coercion. The Lord instructed the disciples, “if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you.” The gospel must be freely offered and freely accepted. So too the missionary disciples of the Lord must not be choosy and selective or demanding of their needs but accept humbly the offerings and hospitality of those who welcome the gospel.
However, mentoring is not merely about giving instructions but being close to our mentees, walking with them and journeying with them. True mentors are like fathers to their children, the way St Paul related himself with Timothy and Titus. He called Timothy and Titus as his dear child. He wrote, “To Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.” To Titus, he also wrote to him in similar manner calling him a “true child of mine in the faith.” Paul was like a father to the two young bishops, encouraging them and assuring them of his affection and support. “That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control.” This too was the case of our Lord. After sending out the seventy-two, they returned to report to our Lord what they had done and how much joy they received when even the demons submitted to them. Jesus told them instead, “See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10:17-20)
Finally, all mentoring is personal. The mentor mentors with his very life. St Paul told Timothy, “So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy.” So too was the case of our Lord Himself. There is no mentoring like being a personal example and an exemplar in Christian living, Christian witnessing and Christian discipleship to our mentees. This is how we, like Paul, “fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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