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The Martyrdom of St . Timothy, the Apostle .

The Martyrdom of St . Timothy, the Apostle .

On this day, of the year 97 A .D ., St . Timothy, the Apostle, was martyred . He was born in thecity of Lystra of the district of Lycaonia in Asia Minor, to a Greek father who worshipped thestars and a Jewish mother whose name was Eunice . (Acts 16:1-2, Timothy 1:5)When St . Paul preached in Lystra, this saint heard his teachings and saw the signs that Godwrought by his hands . He believed and was baptized . Timothy rejected the gods of his father andforsook the faith of his mother . He became a disciple of St . Paul the Apostle, followed him in histravels, and shared his labors .In the year 53 A .D ., St . Paul ordained St . Timothy bishop over the city of Ephesus and theneighboring cities . St . Timothy preached there and converted many to the Christian faith andbaptized them .St . Paul wrote two epistles to St . Timothy: the first of which was in 65 A .D ., and the second wasshortly before 67 A .D ., urging him, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine, continue in them,for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you ." (1Tim . 4:16) He also wroteto him about the qualifications of bishop, priest, deacon, and the widow . He cautioned him alsoabout false prophets and commanded him not to lay his hand on one in haste but only afterthorough examinations and testing .St . Paul called Timothy his son and his beloved . St . Timothy delivered four epistles for St . Paul:the first was the Epistle to Corinth, the second to Philippi, the third to Thessalonica, and thefourth to the Hebrews .St . Timothy shepherded the flock of Christ extremely well, and he illumined minds by histeachings, instructions, and admonitions . He continued to rebuke the Jews and the Greeks,therefore they envied him and congregated against him and started beating him until he wasmartyred in the city of Ephesus . The believers took his body and buried it .His prayers be with us . Amen .