Scriptural Reflection: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 44:16–27; 45:3–20; St. Luke 10:1–9
In the Spirit of the Holy Fathers
On this day, Holy Church places before us the example of Saint Titus, disciple of the Apostle Paul, bishop of Crete, and faithful steward of the mysteries of God. The texts appointed for the Mass and Office for his feast call our attention to the nobility of the priestly office, the inheritance of righteousness, and the apostolic mandate to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The readings from Ecclesiasticus and the Gospel of St. Luke speak deeply to the identity and mission of the bishop and priest — in whose company Titus shines as a luminous star.
“Enoch pleased God, and was translated into paradise…”
(Sirach 44:16)
Ecclesiasticus introduces us to the line of patriarchs, priests, and kings whose memory is held in benediction. “Enoch pleased God, and was translated into paradise.” So too, the holy ones from Abraham to Aaron are remembered, not for wealth or worldly power, but for fidelity to God’s covenant. The priesthood is here presented not as innovation, but inheritance: a participation in the blessings first given to Abraham and passed through Isaac, Jacob, and Levi.
St. Ambrose comments on this genealogy of holiness, noting that the priest “does not make himself priest, but is called by God, as Aaron was” (De Officiis, I.1.4). The passage from Sirach 45 expands upon the calling of Aaron, “exalted by God,” anointed with holy oil, clothed in glory and perfection, bearing the names of the tribes on his breastplate — a figure of the High Priest to come, Christ Jesus.
St. Titus, as bishop, entered into this same priestly line through apostolic succession. St. Paul speaks of him as “my own son according to the common faith” (Titus 1:4), a phrase which signifies the paternal relationship between the Apostles and those whom they ordained. He was sent by St. Paul to establish order in the Church, to appoint presbyters (Titus 1:5), and to guard sound doctrine — a task that is echoed in today’s Gospel.
“The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few…”
(Luke 10:2)
The Gospel recounts our Lord sending out the seventy-two, two by two, with a mission of peace and healing. Here, we see the apostolic pattern: men sent, not self-appointed; reliant not on silver or provision, but on the power of Christ and the hospitality of the faithful. “Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes…” (v. 4) — an invitation to radical dependence on divine providence.
St. Gregory the Great, in his Homilies on the Gospels (Hom. 17), remarks on this passage that the laborers must be few because “many are called, but few are chosen” — and among those chosen, fewer still respond with the generosity demanded by apostolic life. Titus did. As a co-laborer of Paul, he entered fields white for the harvest and reaped fruit that would abide.
Titus: Confessor of the Apostolic Faith
In an age when the priestly identity is blurred by compromise or secularization, the Church presents us today with a true confessor — one who preserved and transmitted the apostolic deposit without adulteration. St. John Chrysostom, in his commentary on the Epistle to Titus, says: “He was entrusted with difficult missions, and always returned with success. Such is the character of one who walks in apostolic footsteps.”
The commemoration of St. Dorothy, virgin and martyr, adds a complementary note: fidelity unto death. Her legend tells of heavenly roses and fruits sent from paradise — an image of the reward awaiting those who remain pure in faith and fervent in charity. Her hidden sanctity and martyrdom mirror the hidden labors of so many confessors and bishops, who quietly laid down their lives in service to Christ’s flock.
A Prayerful Closing
On this feast, let us pray for our bishops and priests, especially those who labor without human recognition but with divine approval. May they be filled with the spirit of Titus, zealous for souls and sound in doctrine. And through the intercession of St. Dorothy, may we be preserved in the purity of the Catholic faith, bearing fruit even in the winter of this world.
O God, Who didst adorn blessed Titus, Thy Confessor and Bishop, with apostolic virtues: grant by his merits and intercession that we may live justly and godly in this present world, and come to eternal glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
“Let the priests be clothed with justice, and let Thy saints rejoice.” — Psalm 131:9