Compare and contrast what Paul reminds Titus to teach as exemplary behavior to different groups in the community. Which group are you in? Does the teaching apply? What things Paul writes likely send up red flags in our contemporary society? Do you have questions about them yourself?
Two, in particular, raise questions/resistance today:
Advice to young women: chaste—ignored in modern culture; homemaker—too restrictive when most expect to have jobs if not careers in their chosen field; mentored by older women—not so problematic as the culture has been in this non-chastity/non-restriction to home-and-family situation for a couple of generations, but, of course, they are likely to hear only the secular ‘wisdom’ and no other; under the control of their husbands–!! Likely to be sharply rebuffed. And few “young men” would be mature enough (let alone ‘maturing in Christ’) to have much of substance to offer.
Advice to slaves: as a societal problem, only marginally relevant to the U.S., and needlessly provoking. Which is why these lines are omitted from our Sunday readings. The situation in Titus’s time was extremely different in at least these ways: slaves made up some one third to one half of the total population of the Empire; slavery was not based on race; people often sold themselves or family members into slavery to pay otherwise unpayable debts; slavery often had a set term of years (similar to indentured servitude in colonial America); slavery often ended about age 30; slaves did have rights such as the right to own property and trade; etc. It is also true that much abuse of slaves took place. Tiny Christian communities without political power of any kind could not challenge this practice of every society from time immemorial. They did declare that in the sight of God, slave and master were simply brother and brother, which began the slow process of undermining the practice.
Can you point to a clue that Titus is young? Might that influence some other lines in this part of the letter? “not named” nailed this one. In the single sentence that is verses 6 and 7 of chapter 2, Paul slides from talking to young men to “you,” meaning Titus himself. And he reminds Titus not to let them all “look down” on him in verse 15, which is more likely if Titus is a young man.
What do you think Paul means by the “lawlessness” Jesus saved us from? This has nothing to do with Paul’s criticisms of the laws of Judaism. Another translation simply translates the Greek word in 2:14 as “iniquity.” Paul simply means ‘doing evil deeds’ as a way of living.
In some translations, the phrase “bath of rebirth” reads “regeneration”. What is Paul talking about here? He is referring to Baptism, and the somewhat unusual Greek word meaning “regeneration” means “a restoration” or “a new beginning” which helps underline that this “bath of rebirth” is, as it were, a return to the state of humanity in Eden—fresh start, untainted by sin—which has become part of our understanding of the sacrament.
If we are right that the letter was written while Paul was still alive, is it surprising to read the word “heretic” in the last sentence? It did surprise me, because it sounds like a later time in the history of the Church. As far as I can tell, only the NABRE uses ‘heretic’ hear. It is not “wrong” because it is a transliteration of the Greek. When Titus was written, though, the word would usually have been translated something like “a person who divides” “a trouble-maker who breaks up the community.” Later it became a technical term in Christianity for someone who teaches something the Church condemns as false teaching. It seems unlikely it was already a technical term when Titus was written.
And I leave you with this additional question to ponder:
HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH TODAY TEACH WHAT PAUL TELLS TITUS TO TEACH? Imagine a current Catholic pastor ordered to give clear instruction older men, older women, young women, young men? What must he say in our day and time, that is inspired by Paul’s words? How should he “Say these things” and what kind of response might he receive? Lay men and women are not often called to publicly teach, but how would you defend the teaching if asked by family members, neighbors, or friends?
That is worth thinking about a lot.
The Church today has it’s work cut out for it! I saw so much of this through the election. Certain pastors DID , point blank, tell their parishioners how they should/shouldn’t vote as Catholics, but most people don’t want to hear it anymore. We seem to be done with right vs. wrong, and are living in a society that only cares about what they WANT to do…we are living in a very selfish world! I have often hated how priests always seem to just preach love, love, love, yet that is the only way to teach as Paul instructed. I guess I’d like to hear preachers concentrate more on what that love MEANS, exactly. You know, that love is a verb that requires action, and not just a nice feeling that you should have for your neighbor. I get challenged constantly by the younger generation, and it all always comes back to the natural law of right vs. wrong.