2 Timothy 1 : 1-8 / Luke 10 : 1-9 (2024)
One of the ways to motivate people to take on higher responsibilities is to recognize the contributions they are already making and the talents they have.
They need to be affirmed of whatever gifts that God has bestowed upon them so that what they have and what they are doing with it can be reinforced.
When St. Paul chose Timothy and Titus to be bishops of their respective churches, he was not looking merely at their gifts and talents.
In fact, Timothy and Titus were rather young to be the bishops of the churches.
Rather, St. Paul recognized the faith that they had.
And especially for Timothy, St. Paul reminded him of the sincere faith which was handed down from his grandmother and his mother.
St. Paul affirmed Timothy that he saw this faith in him, and that was sufficient for him to lead the church that was entrusted to him.
Here, it is good to remember that faith, is not so much taught as it is caught.
The faith that we have is "caught" from others - our parents, our teachers, our friends, etc.
Hence we have a faith to share, a faith that others are waiting to catch, so that they too will come to know God and believe in Him.