The Festival of St. Titus, Bishop and Confessor

10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

There is a foreshadowing of this text in Numbers 11: “The Lord said to Moses: ‘Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel… I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you’” (Num. 11:16–17). In the same way, the Christ says that laborers are needed for the harvest and, therefore, sends out seventy men—other than the Twelve—to help bear the burden of announcing the Gospel. These went ahead of Christ, to announce that He was coming. This is different than, but foreshadowed, the regular New Testament Ministry of Word and Sacraments. The seventy announced that Christ was coming; the minister announces that Christ is here, in Word and Sacrament.

St. Titus, who is among the first bishops, does not travel around, but remains in one place: Crete. St. Paul writes to him, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders [pastors] in every city” (Tit. 1:5). The New Testament ministers call people to where the saints are gathered together around the pure Gospel and rightly administered Sacraments.

These three are different: the seventy elders with Moses, the seventy whom Christ sent, and the regular pastor, but all of them were called by the same Holy Spirit for the sake of the one Gospel of Christ.

Collect: O God, Who didst adorn St. Titus with apostolic virtues, increase in us a spirit directed to a life of duty and justice, which is the fruit of a faith which trusts in our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine Only-begotten Son, hast confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and Who, in the Voice that came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner foreshow the adoption of sons: Mercifully vouchsafe to make us coheirs with the King of His glory, and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.