“True Child of a Common Faith”
St. Titus, like St. Timothy, was a missionary and co-worker of St. Paul whose commemoration we owe largely to Paul’s own commendation of his earnestness for the Gospel of the Lord and his obedience to the command to teach and baptize all nations. Born to gentile parents, Titus hails from Antioch but—at some unknown point— joins Paul, is ordained, and is an active worker alongside the apostles by Paul’s third missionary journey.
Titus joins in the work of Timothy, who first delivered Paul’s epistle to the church in Corinth, in which Paul doesn’t hide his concern for the Corinthians whom he admonishes as his own children (1 Cor 4:14). Paul doesn’t hide the fact that he continues to be anxious over them and expects to hear a report about the church there from Titus in Troas, yet it wasn’t until he continued to Macedonia that he finally reunited with Titus. But the wait was worth it. Titus delivers the joyous news of the repentance that came about in Corinth, for the saints there grieved were “grieved into repentance” (2 Cor 7:9) and received Titus with respect and submission (7:15). As one who shares Paul’s “same earnest care” over these saints, Titus had the joy of bringing Paul’s later letter to the people (2 Corinthians).
We gather from 2 Timothy that Titus was sent to Dalmatia, a region in modern-day Croatia, after his journey to Corinth and eventually to Crete, where he was appointed bishop. Within his letter to Titus, Paul encourages him to establish order by appointing trustworthy elders. He then encourages Titus further as a leader with authority, a position in which he continued to grow as he served in Crete, where he died at the age of 93.
Brief History
The dating for St. Titus on our liturgical calendar reflects his work as a missionary alongside St. Paul and his zeal for our Lord’s command to baptize and teach all nations (Mat. 28:19). Lutheran churches have given St. Titus a spot on the sanctoral calendar for more than a century, with Wilhelm Loehe’s Martyrology assigning him the date of January 4th, but recently his commemoration has moved to the current date of January 26th on the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s sanctoral calendar. This change can likely be attributed to the new Roman calendar, which moved his date to January 26th in the late 1960s. The Missouri Synod seems to have followed suit and now remembers the three close co-workers in the Gospel, Timothy, Paul, and Titus, on adjoining feast days: January 24th, 25th, and 26th, respectively.
These three missionaries hold special significance for Christians in the places where they served as missionaries and for all pastors who follow in their steps as workers in the Gospel. Within Paul’s letter to Timothy is both encouragement and admonishment for pastors and laity who receive concrete examples of what it means to be a Christian whose faith pours out into a way of life:
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:3-6).
Collect
O God, Who didst adorn Blessed Titus, Thy Confessor and Bishop, with apostolic virtues, grant that his example of faith and charity may inspire the hearts of your people to holy lives; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost: ever one God, world without end. Amen
Lessons
Epistle
Gospel
Resources
Issues, Etc. interview with the Rev. Dr. Thomas Winger on Saints Timothy and Titus
Issues, Etc. interview with the Rev. Dr. Curtis Giese on Timothy and Titus
Propers found in Daily Divine Service Book: A Lutheran Daily Missal, edited by the Rev. Heath Curtis
References:
1. Treasury of Daily Prayer. Concordia Publishing House. 2008.
2. Weedon, William. Celebrating the Saints. Concordia Publishing House. 2016.
Images:
1. St. Titus from The Calendar of Saints, Jacques Callot, France, ca. 1600.
2. St. Titus, Unknown, Russia, Unknown.
[…] Although historic Lutheran customs for St. Titus’ day are hard to come by, we have two traditions for you that relate to the life and work of this […]