Sunday after Theophany; Our Venerable Father Theodosius, Founder of the Cenoebitic Monastic Life.
1 Timothy 1:15-17; 2 Corinthians 4:6-15; Luke 18:35-43; Matthew 11:27-30.
Read Luke 18:35-43
What does faithfulness look like? In our relationships, we may be eager to share our faith with those we care about. When presented with an opposing perspective, we may feel internal pressure to be faithful to our convictions by immediately responding with our opposing point. If we withhold our words, that can feel like unfaithfulness; we can end up second-guessing ourselves.
Jesus was in Nazareth when John the Baptist was beheaded in Herod’s fortress-palace, 170 km away, a 39-hour walk. “When he heard that…he went and dwelt in Capernaum,” only 12 km further but 9 ½ more hours of walking. Herod’s soldiers would be able to get to him in Nazareth at a normal walking pace of 4.4 km/hr. To cover the extra distance to Capernaum, they could only walk at 1.3 km/hr because of the more difficult terrain.
Jesus retreated off the beaten path. But he wasn’t unfaithful – “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He simply knew that his hour had not yet come.
They say, timing is everything. When it comes to offering the words we value most to the ones we hold most dear, faithfulness may mean waiting. It may mean holding and considering our words while we look to really see the other person more fully and listen to them more carefully and caringly. Having held onto our words, we can then offer them to the other person more faithfully than if we had unburdened ourselves of them too soon.