Timothy

There was a disciple named Timothy

Emily Post, whose name is synonymous with etiquette, recommends using polite language for introductions.   So please allow us to introduce St. Timothy, young disciple of St. Paul and Paul’s ambassador to many early Christian communities.

Timothy was born of a Jewish mother, who was a convert to Christianity, and a Greek father, who remained a pagan.   So Timothy probably knew the tension of life in a family in which the parents don’t share the same faith.   Timothy’s mother, Eunice—and his grandmother, Lois, who was also a Christian convert—had a great deal of influence in his life, schooling him in Judaism and the Hebrew Scriptures.   He grew up reading and studying so diligently that even St. Paul was impressed.   A recipient of two letters included in the New Testament, Timothy became the first bishop of Ephesus and was eventually martyred.

Timothy’s credentials might leave you feeling inadequate as a believer.   It’s easy to view saints and holy people that way.   But Timothy was very much like us.   Like most of us, he had gifts and talents that enabled him to serve the Lord well, and he also had challenges and roadblocks that he had to overcome.

It seems that Timothy was somewhat shy, as Paul urged the Corinthians to put him at ease among them and to be careful how they criticized him (1 Corinthians 16:10-11).   He was timid, perhaps, but also gentle and tactful.   Paul trusted him to deal with awkward situations.   “I have no one comparable to him,” he once said (Philippians 2:20).   Timothy also frequently suffered stomach ailments, causing Paul to prescribe a little wine to help (1 Timothy 5:23).

Think of the encouragement Timothy’s example offers us.   Despite his shyness and problematic health, he became a valuable servant of the Lord.   Even despite setbacks and imprisonment, he held fast to the gospel, keeping his conscience clear and resisting the lure of riches and power.   He trusted that God would deal with his weaknesses and could still use him in spite of them.

Patron saint of stomach ailments, Timothy reminds us that God uses each of us, warts and all.

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