November 14, 2022
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
We often think of the Apostles as walking from here to here to here and think everything was rosy for them or that people were just waiting for them to show up. Of course we know from the lives of the Saints and the Apostles that it isn’t so but because we are so far away from those days, that it seems that way to us. Given that, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s difficult to evangelize today and get anything but a bored reaction. It’s not every day – or even year – that we can use ‘the unknown god’ to help folks understand the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as St. Paul did in Athens.
But we must be unflagging in our attempts. We shouldn’t get exasperated and throw up our hands in defeat. If you keep doing what you’re doing, and I keep on, and our neighbors and friends keep on, we can make a difference. I love this line from the Intercessions in Evening Prayer: Let the light of thy Gospel shine upon all nations; and may as many as have received it, live as becomes it.
Words on the Word 