Christ's foundation on Peter abides

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

Today, October 11 , as our Church celebrates the Memorial of John XXIII, pope, we are encouraged to read and reflect on a passage of the apostle Paul to Titus (1:7-11:2:1-8), entitled “The teaching of the Apostle on the qualities and duties of bishops”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope.

Saint Pope John XXIII was the 260th successor of St. Peter, was one of the most popular popes of all time, serving as pope from October 1958 to June 1963. His pastoral approach to the papacy made him beloved by many: his nick name was the “Good Pope”. He is best known for convening the Second Vatican Council.

The man who would become pope was born in the small village of Sotto il Monte in Italy, on November 25, 1881. He was the fourth of fourteen children born to poor parents who made their living by sharecropping. Named Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the baby would eventually become one of the most influential popes in recent history, changing the Church forever.

Saint Paul’s letter to Titus is the third of the Pastoral Epistles in the New Testament and is addressed to a different co-worker of Paul than are First and Second Timothy. The situation is different, too, for Titus is addressed as the person in charge of developing the church on the large Mediterranean island of Crete, a place Paul had never, according to the New Testament, visited. The tone is closer to that of First Timothy as three topics of church life and structure are discussed: presbyter-bishops, groups with which one must work in the church, and admonitions for conduct based on the grace and love of God that appeared in Jesus Christ. The warmer personal tone of Second Timothy is replaced by emphasis on church office and on living in the society of the day, in which deceivers and heretics abound.