In the Spirit of the Feast of Saint Timothy, Bishop and Martyr – III Class
Saturday within the Second Week after Epiphany
“Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim 6:12) — this exhortation from Saint Paul to his spiritual son, Timothy, resounds today with a renewed urgency as we honor the memory of Saint Timothy, Bishop and Martyr. Within the quiet strength of this young bishop’s fidelity, we perceive the very heart of apostolic zeal — shaped in humility, fortified in suffering, and crowned in martyrdom.
The Church today gives us two potent readings: the Pastoral Epistle where Paul urges Timothy to persevere as a man of God; and the Gospel from Luke, where our Lord speaks starkly of the cost of discipleship: hating one’s own life, bearing the cross, and renouncing all things.
Let us consider these readings together, illumined by the witness of the early Fathers and the example of Saint Timothy.
The Vocation of the Man of God
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, meekness.”
(1 Tim 6:11)
St. Paul calls Timothy “O man of God,” a phrase used in the Old Testament to describe prophets and holy men — Moses, Elijah, Elisha. In using it here, Paul places Timothy within the line of those called to be living instruments of God’s word and will. His charge is clear: Flee, pursue, fight, lay hold. The Christian life, and especially the apostolic vocation, is one of continual striving — not comfort, not stagnation.
St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, writes:
“Let us then not be so soft and effeminate as to avoid toils and dangers. For this life is a contest, a perpetual wrestling; and therefore let us train ourselves and strip for the contest.”
(Homily XVIII on 1 Timothy)
Saint Timothy, young and frail in body (cf. 1 Tim 5:23), was nevertheless urged to fight the good fight of faith. He stood as bishop of Ephesus, amid dangers from heretics and pagans alike. His courage sprang not from natural strength, but from divine grace, fortified by the laying on of hands and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Solemn Charge Before Christ the King
Saint Paul gives Timothy a solemn charge “before God… and Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate” — an allusion to Christ’s own witness unto death. The gravity of this charge is emphasized by the majestic doxology that follows:
“Who only hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible; whom no man hath seen, nor can see…” (1 Tim 6:16)
This is not mere poetic flourish. The Fathers saw here a reminder that the one whom Timothy serves — and whom we all serve — is the transcendent, eternal King, dwelling in unapproachable light. St. Ambrose, writing on the divine nature, says:
“He who is the light of the world dwelleth in inaccessible light — not that He flees from us, but that we cannot yet approach unto Him while we are burdened with the body.”
(Expositio Evangelii Secundum Lucam)
Timothy, then, and all who are charged with the governance of souls, must keep this King ever before their eyes. Their service is not to men alone, but to the immortal God, who alone is just judge.
The Cost of Discipleship
In the Gospel (Luke 14:26–33), Our Lord speaks words that jar against natural affection and comfort:
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother… yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Saint Timothy knew this cost. According to tradition, he died a martyr under the reign of Domitian or Nerva, stoned to death in Ephesus for opposing pagan worship during a festival to Diana. He bore his cross — not metaphorically, but truly — following Christ unto death.
St. Gregory the Great explains the apparent harshness of Our Lord’s words:
“He commands us to hate not our relatives, but the dispositions which are opposed to God. For when our earthly affections hinder our eternal good, then indeed must they be hated.”
(Moralium Libri, 33.6)
Thus, to “hate” father, mother, and one’s own life is not to violate the fourth commandment, but to subject all earthly loves to the supreme love of Christ.
Counting the Cost — and Building Anyway
Our Lord warns that no man builds a tower without calculating the cost. Discipleship is not an impulse; it is a total surrender. As Saint Timothy took up the burden of the episcopate, he did not do so naively. The martyr’s crown is not for the half-hearted.
St. Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on this Gospel, writes:
“He lays down for us the path to perfection, showing that we must esteem nothing so precious as to prefer it to the love of Christ.”
(Commentary on Luke, Sermon 105)
Have we, too, counted the cost of our discipleship? Are we willing to renounce all — not only material goods, but also the subtle attachments to reputation, comfort, ease, and approval — for the sake of fidelity to Christ?
Conclusion: The Witness of Saint Timothy
Saint Timothy, whom Saint Paul ordained with tears and mentored with paternal affection, now stands among the white-robed army of martyrs. His life embodies both the exhortation and the cost. As a “man of God,” he fled vanity, pursued virtue, fought the good fight, and bore his cross.
On this Saturday within the Second Week after Epiphany, as the light of Christ continues to manifest in His saints, may Saint Timothy’s witness inflame our hearts to love Christ above all things, to persevere in the fight of faith, and to strive for that blessed and only potentate, “the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Sancte Timothee, Episcopi et Martyr, ora pro nobis.