Called by God, Saints Timothy and Titus were both trained by Paul. However, Saints Timothy and Titus had opposite personalities.
St. Timothy was shy, timid, very gentle, and soft-spoken. He was the type who could always be taken for granted. Leave him in a corner, he would not mind. On the other hand, Titus was the forthright man, a fighter, the one who was frank and brutally honest. When Paul wrote Timothy, he was also very gentle with his words because he knew that the receiver of his letter was soft-spoken and gentle. He did not like to offend Timothy’s sensibilities. On the other hand, with Titus, he could say: “The Cretans are beastly, they are gluttons and lazy. I am sending you there.” And Titus went. It seems likely that people who are gentle would want to go with people who are gentle. And, for that matter, people who are rough would want to go out with people who are also forthright and rough. But people who are gentle should not consider people who are frank, evil. People who are harsh, frank or would-be-fighters should not consider people who are soft-spoken as weaklings.
Paul loved Timothy as Timothy and Paul loved Titus as Titus. He did not change Titus into Timothy and he did not attempt or dream to make Titus into a soft-spoken Timothy. While we learn from Timothy and Titus, we also learn from Paul. May we learn to accept each other as each other is. May we learn to accept, love and face each other according to each other’s limitations and gifts.
BE YOURSELF
Tit 1:5
Jesus In My Heart
