A couple of years ago, I attended a men’s retreat facilitated by menALIVE. MenALIVE was founded by Robert Falzon, a Maltese warrior for Jesus who felt called to inspire men to be more active in their faith and in the Church. He started this ministry more than twenty years ago, and it has impacted tens of thousands of men across Australia and New Zealand.
There were so many things that I took away from the weekend, but one point stood out more than any other. Many men (and women) are experiencing profound loneliness. We are not connected to a faith community, a family or friends. We need people in our lives that we can laugh with, cry with and most importantly, encourage us in our relationship with Christ.
Ironically, loneliness has become too popular.
We were not made to be isolated.
We were not made to be alone.
We were made for love.
We were made for communion.
Steve Lia, one of the speakers at the menALIVE retreat, shared something really powerful in his talk. He said, “We all need to find a St Paul, someone further on in our faith journey who can mentor us. We all need to find a Barnabas, someone we can journey alongside on our walk with Christ. Lastly, we all need to find a Timothy, someone we can be a mentor to in their walk with Jesus.”
What a powerful concept. No matter how committed you are to your faith, there is someone further along than you. All of us need a mentor. There is a small handful of men in my life whom I have continuously leaned on for encouragement and guidance. They have been invaluable St Paul figures to me.
Having people who run the race of life with you is also very important. Being part of a community or friendship group where you are not always the student listening to a mentor, and you are not always the mentor expected to have all the answers, is very important. We all need people in our lives who just run the race of life with us!
Finally, none of us is perfect. All of us are miserable sinners in desperate need of God’s mercy, yet St Paul says, “My power is made perfect in weakness… for when I am weak I am strong” 2 Cor 12:9-10. You don’t need to have all the answers to support someone. You dont need to be perfect to evangelise. So, what are you waiting for? Find your Timothy. Someone who needs your friendship and support in the faith. Pray for them, fast for them, encourage them to be saints!
