Sunday Scripture Readings: Studies and Meditations, October 3

[Fidelis]

To help you prepare for this coming Sunday, here are the readings and reflections for this coming Sunday’s Scripture readings. In this Sunday’s Gospel Reading, Jesus talks about the power of faith–even faith the size of a mustard seed. This Sunday is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C.

Here are the Scripture readings from the U.S. Catholic bishops website.

My own weekly study can be found here under “Current Study.”

Reflections on the Sunday Scriptures to share with the younger ones in your family by Emily and Jeff Cavins can be found at Family Night .

Here are three short audio reflections on the readings by Sister Ann Shields, Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Robert Barron.

Here is a Catholic Bible study podcast on the Gospel Reading, about an hour long, at Sunday Gospel Scripture Study.

The Navarre Bible Commentary for each reading can be viewed here.

Further study resources for the Readings: St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study can be found here, and Catholic Matters can be found here.

Please check back for updates. Discussion, questions and charitable comments are always welcome. Have a blessed week!

 

[colmcille1]

Hi Fidelis,
Thank you for your very nice post.
My brother was given the Navarre Bible as a present. Judging by the excellent commentaries, it seems to be a very helpful publication.
I think I may be borrowing his!
God Bless,
Colmcille.

 

[Fidelis]

Hi Fidelis,
Thank you for your very nice post.
My brother was given the Navarre Bible as a present. Judging by the excellent commentaries, it seems to be a very helpful publication.
I think I may be borrowing his!
God Bless,
Colmcille.

You’re welcome, Colmcille. Mike doesn’t have the Navarre commentary for this Sunday up yet on his page, but he usually sends it out/has it up no later than Saturday. I’ll be posting them here so be sure to check back. I would highly recommend the Navarre series to anyone.

 

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First Reading: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

EXPLANATION: This prophet wrote about 600 B.C. shortly before the Babylonian invasion of Judah and the capture of the city of Jerusalem. Political intrigue and idolatry were wide-spread in Judah and Jerusalem at this period, and threat from the new superpower, Babylon, was looming over the land. The prophet is arguing with God about this state of affairs—why should God allow these things to happen? God tells him, he has prepared a severe punishment for Judah and its wicked inhabitants but the just will be saved.

The First Reading, as we will hear it this Sunday:

How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.

Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

 

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From the Navarre Bible Commentary (with RSV-CE text):

1:2-2:4. The message and historical references contained in the book are concentrated in these verses. They appear to be a conversation between the Lord and Habakkuk. The prophet has recourse to the Lord for his help to right grievous wrongs (1:1-4). God’s reply is a surprising one, for he tells the prophet that he is going to raise up a people, violent and cruel, “whose own might is their god” (1:5-11). This disconcerts the prophet: How an it be that, to purify his elect, the Lord should use such an irreligious and pitiless nation (1:12-17)? Still, the prophet does not despair; he decides to remain attentive to the voice of the Lord (2:1) – and the Lord does indeed respond to him by telling him in words what he previously told him by gestures: there is a time for everything; obstacles will overthrow the one whose soul is not upright, but he who is righteous shall live (2:1-4).

The prophet’s first complaint
-----------------------------------------
[2] O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and thou wilt not hear?
Or cry to thee “Violence!”
and thou wilt not save?
[3] Why dost thou make me see wrongs
and look upon trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.

** 1:2-4.** In his complaint to God, the prophet lists all the things that have gone wrong for the people – wickedness, violence, neglect of the Law, injustices etc. (vv. 3-4). However, what the prophet finds worst of all is the fact that the Lord does nothing about it (v. 2). The vigour of Habakkuk’s words probably lies in the fact that he is not just bemoaning the people’s lot; he is actually praying – and prayer should never be contrived; it should come straight from the heart: “I say to God simply what I want to say to Him, without using sweet words of beautiful phrases, and He always hears and understands me. …] For me, in times of suffering and times of joy, prayer is an impulse of the heart, a glance up to heaven, an expression of gratitude and love” (St Therese of the Child Jesus, Autobiographial Writings, 25).

Continued below…

 

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God’s reply
----------------
[2] And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain upon tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
[3] For still the vision awaits its time;
it hastens to the end – it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
[4] Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.

2:2-4. As if admitting that the prophet is right, God answers his questions. The first point he makes clear is that when he promises something, it will happen: time may pass, but his word will not pass away unfulfilled (vv. 2-3). And this delay is a test of people’s faithfulness (v. 4).

The last verse here (“Behold … the righteous shall live by his faith”) is important in both the Jewish and Christian biblical traditions. Some rabbis saw it as a summary of all 613 commandments of the Law; the writers of the Qumran commentary understood it to mean that he who kept the Law would escape the Judgment; and in the New Testament it is quoted on a number of occasions in connexion with the power of faith and the need for fortitude.

However, the verse is difficult to translate; this can be seen in various translations and even in the way the text is quoted in the New Testament. The Letter to the Hebrews 10:38 quotes this passage, working from the Greek translation, to exhort Christians to persevere in the faith they have received: “My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Although the author of Hebrews inverts the order of the original, the meaning is unchanged.

Similarly, “faith” (“faithfulness”: note d) translates a very common word (‘emunah) which means stability, faithfulness, faith. It is a quality of God (Deut 32:4) and also of those who honour him (2 Chron 19:9) and who are righteous in his eyes (Prov 12:22). In Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11, St Paul quotes the second part of the Habakkuk verse (“the righteous shall live by his faith”) applied to the individual, to ground his teaching on justification by faith rather than by the works of the Law. St Paul’s use of the verse means that it is very important from a Christian point of view.

St Jerome’s interpretation takes account of both the original audience and the Christian readership: “If your faith is weak and you begin to doubt that what was promised will come about, you will cause my soul great displeasure. But the just man, who believes in my word and never doubts the promises I make, will receive eternal life as his reward …]. It is clear that these words contain a prophecy of the coming of Christ. The problem they contain will be resolved by him: sin will triumph and punishment be never-ending until He comes” (Commentarii in Abucuc, 2, 4). The verse is similar in style to a proverb (or maxim), and can be readily applied to the Christian life. For example, just as the New Testament says of St Joseph that he was a just man (cf. Mt 1:19), the Habakkuk passage can be applied to him as a sign that justice implies faith: “To be just is not simply a matter of obeying rules. Goodness should grow from the inside; it should be deep and vital – for ‘the just man lives by faith’ (Hab 2:4). These words, which later became a frequent subject of St Paul’s meditation, really did apply in the case of St Joseph. He didn’t fulfill the will of God in a routine or perfunctory way; he did it spontaneously and wholeheartedly. For him, the law which every practising Jew lived by was not a code or a cold list of precepts, but an expression of the will of the living God. So he knew how to recognize the Lord’s voice when it came to him so unexpectedly and so surprisingly” (St Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 41).

 

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**I cry for help . . . not hear . . . : **The prophet is annoyed with God for delaying punishment. He has pleaded again and again but God seems not to hear him. This is the perennial lament of the righteous: Why does not God intervene when evil seems to flourish? God’s answer in the book of Job seeks to answer this question as it pertains to individuals. Here in Habakkuk, it concerns the lament of a nation.

I cry . . . “violence”: The rich are trampling on the poor, the idolaters are making life almost impossible for those who serve God.This same type of cry is found in Jeremiah 20:7-8.

**destruction . . . strife . . . : On all sides the prophet sees ruin, misery, destruction, discord and strife (see 2 Kgs. 23: 33-24: 9 for the historical context). The kings of that period especially set the bad example, neglecting God and turning to idols. The majority of the people followed suit. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, after the defeat of the Assyrians, then the Egyptians, had Judah in his sights. There was no peace in the land.
**
(In between these verses, God tells Habakkuk that the Babylonians will be his instrument of punishment to the wicked. Habakkuk objects to the fact that such an evil nation would be used for God’s purposes. See Hab 1:5-17)

The Lord . . . write the vision: The sense is “right this down so a herald may read and run with the message.” God tells the prophet to write his message clearly on the tablets, the writing materials then in use, so that everyone could read it readily. What the vision he was given to write about was is not certain, but it was probably the punishment that (Chaldea) Babylon was to inflict on unfaithful Judah as described in chapter 1: 5-11, or it may refer to the messianic triumph at the end of time (see 3:13-15).

**vision . . . hastens . . . not lie: **God is still in charge. What he has promised will come at the appointed time, and it will bring the justice which Habakkuk is seeking.

it will surely come: Even though God seems to delay, the outcome is certain.

he . . . fail: Translations vary here but the meaning is that those who have been disloyal to God will then feel insecure, whereas…

the righteous . . . his faith: His faith and trust in God will give the just man strength and life in the trials that are to come. The common opinion in the Old Testament was that the man who was loyal to God would have a long life in this world whereas the disloyal will come to a bad end. The Greek (Septuagint) rendering of this verse is a favorite of St. Paul, appearing in Romans, Galatians and Hebrews.

 

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Douay Rheims Version, with Haydock Commentary:

2* How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? shall I cry out to thee, suffering violence, and thou wilt not save?*

Ver. 2. Save. Some think that he expresses the sentiments of the weak, like David, (Psalms lxxii. 2.) or what he had formerly entertained. The language of the prophets is very bold, Exodus xxxii. 32., Job iii. 3., Jeremias xx. 14., and Jonas iv. 8. (Calmet)

3 Why hast thou shewn me iniquity and grievance, to see rapine and injustice before me? and there is a judgment, but opposition is more powerful.

Ver. 3. *Opposition. * Septuagint, “the judge receives” bribes. (Haydock) — Such was the state of Juda after Josias, Jeremias xxi. 12.

2:2 And the Lord answered me, and said: Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables: that he that readeth it may run over it.

Ver. 2. Over it. It shall be so legible (Haydock) anyone may hear or take a copy. (Calmet)

3 For as yet the vision is far off, and it shall appear at the end, and shall not lie: if it make any delay, wait for it: for it shall surely come, and it shall not be slack.

Ver. 3. Slack. That which happens at the time fixed is not. (Worthington) — Hebrew, “the vision is for an appointed time.” Habacuc might live to see the conquest and downfall of Nabuchodonosor. Many think that the first and second coming of Christ (Hebrews x. 36., and Romans i. 17.) are here insinuated, as the dominion of the aforesaid king represented the slavery of mankind under the devil, and the liberty granted by Cyrus was a type of their redemption. The felicity of the Jews is the last event which the prophet specifies, and this is here the literal sense. (St. Cyril) (Calmet)

4 *Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in himself: but the just shall live in his faith.

Ver. 4. *Unbelieving. * Protestant [reading:] “lifted up.” (Haydock) — The king’s vain projects shall fail. Roman Septuagint, “If he withdraw himself, my soul shall not have pleasure in him. But my just man shall live by my faith.” Others read with St. Paul, “my just man shall live by faith,” Hebrews x. 38. (Calmet) — The source of content arises from faith, (without which this life would be a sort of death, as the apostle and St. Augustine, Trinity xiv. 12., &c., observe) because it is the beginning of life by grace, which the works of the law could not otherwise confer, Galatians iii. (Worthington) — The Hebrew will admit the sense of the Septuagint and we ought rather to shew this in passages which the authors of the New Testament quote, than to excuse them. Here their version seems preferable to that given by moderns, ecce elata est, non recta anima ejus in eo, the drift of which who can guess? Beza has acted unfairly, “at si quis se subduxerit non est gratum animo meo;” whereas the text speaks of the “just man,” as Theophylactus observes. “Hence all who know his theological opinions, may see how suspicious his translation must be accounted.” (Pearson, pref. Sept.) (Haydock)

 

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Questions for personal reflection:

— What did Habakkuk see (v3, 4) and what did he do about it (v2)? What was his frustration (v2)?

— From 2:2-5 how certain was God’s plan against Babylon (v2-3) and what would happen to them (v4a, 5)? What will happen to the righteous and why (v4b)?

— According to the this reading from Habbakuk, what is the nature of faith? Why is it not the same as getting what want when you want it, or “naming and claiming” it?

— In what ways are we sometimes called to wait upon the Lord? What should be our expectation and our response?

CCC citations: Habakkuk is not directly cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

 

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Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

EXPLANATION: This second letter to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, was written by St. Paul from his Roman prison where he was spending his second and last term. It was written about 66/67 A.D. and in it Paul is most anxious that Timothy should come to him in Rome. He does not forget to urge on his beloved convert the need to continue preaching and preserving the faith which he had learned from his father-in-Christ, St.Paul.

The Second Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.

 

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A meditation for personal application on the First Reading from Catholic Matters:

APPLICATION: There are many Christians who, like this prophet Habakkuk, want God quickly to punish sinners, especially those who unjustly oppress their fellowman or make life difficult for those who are trying to live honestly and uprightly. God told this prophet to be patient, that he would eventually put all things right; even if he seemed to be slow in reacting, his judgment was certain to come.

Now in the Old Testament times, when a future life was rarely thought of and all retribution was expected on this earth, there was some excuse for the impatience of the prophet. For a follower however of Christ, who came to save sinners, and wished not the death of any sinner but that all might be converted and live, there is no such excuse. Christ tells us expressly: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who maltreat you” (Lk. 6: 27). This is no doubt a difficult command for our weak human nature, but it comes from our Lord who himself set us the example. During his life on earth he dealt with and fraternized with sinners of all kinds. This was one of the “crimes” which the Pharisees accused him of. He met adulterers, murderers, robbers, backbiters, unjust employers and dishonest employees. Did he ever utter one harsh word against any of them? Most of those he healed were sinners. He frequently told them not to sin any more, but he did not refuse to heal them because of their past sins. The crowning act of forgiveness of enemies was on Calvary. As he hung on the cross to which his enemies had unjustly and cruelly nailed him, one of his last words was a prayer for those very enemies : “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”

He was the all-innocent Son of God who had put himself to the humiliation of taking our human nature in order to give us a share in his divinity. He never did and never could injure anybody. “He went about doing good,” yet he bore the insults, the treachery, the thanklessness, the sacrilegious defamation of character when he was called a blasphemer. All these injuries he bore without even a murmur of complaint, although they were heaped on him by the very people whom he had come to save.

Is he asking too much of us then when he asks us to forgive our enemies? There are very few of us who are not guilty of having, at one time or another, offended God and our neighbor. We ourselves have often asked pardon of God and received it. Could we be so mean as not to forgive a neighbor who like ourselves has all the weaknesses of human nature? Worse still could we be so forgetful of our own eternal welfare as to refuse that pardon, for one condition on which we can get God’s pardon is that we first pardon our fellowman. When we pray the Our Father we say: “forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us.” What we are saying to God then if we do not forgive our neighbor is: “do not forgive us as we will not forgive our neighbor?” What a foolish, what a dreadful prayer to utter!

Life is hard enough for the vast majority of mankind. But keeping up enmities between members of the family, between neighbors, between nations adds a hundred per cent more hardship to our life on earth. Today, billions of dollars and pounds are being wasted, billions which could feed all the hungry of the earth. They are being wasted because nations insist on keeping up enmities instead of getting together as human, rational beings should do and admitting their faults (which are not all on one side), thus establishing a bond of friendship. While we can only use the influence we have, and we are bound to use it, to put an end to the scandal of national hatreds and distrust, let us begin at home to do what is entirely within our own power. Let us forgive all enemies and all injuries real or imaginary (they so often are imaginary), let us live in peace with all our neighbors and prove ourselves worthy to be called followers of Christ on whose forgiveness our eternal salvation depends.

 

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Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

EXPLANATION: This second letter to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, was written by St. Paul from his Roman prison where he was spending his second and last term. It was written about 66/67 A.D. and in it Paul is most anxious that Timothy should come to him in Rome. He does not forget to urge on his beloved convert the need to continue preaching and preserving the faith which he had learned from his father-in-Christ, St.Paul.

The Second Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.

 

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From the Navarre Bible Commentary (with RSV-CE text):

Response to Grace
-----------------
*[6] Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; *

**6. **“The gift of God” is the priestly character which Timothy received on the day of his ordination. St Paul is using very graphic and precise language: by the sacrament of Order a divine gift is conferred on the priest; it is like an ember which needs to be revived from time to time in order to make it glow and give forth the warmth it contains. St Thomas Aquinas comments that “the grace of God is like a fire which does not flow when it is covered by ashes; the same thing happens when grace is covered over in a person by sluggishness or natural fear” (“Commentary on 2 Tim, ad loc.”).

The gifts which God confers on the priest “are not transitory or temporary in him, but stable and permanent, attached as they are to an indelible character, impressed on his soul, by which he is made a priest forever (cf. Ps 109:4), in the likeness of Him in whose priesthood he has been made to share” (Pius XI, “Ad Catholici Sacerdotii”, 17).

“The laying on of my hands”: see the note on 1 Tim 4:14.

[7] God did to give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

1. The gift of God, received in the sacrament of Order by the laying on of hands, includes sanctifying grace and sacramental grace, and the actual graces needed for performing ministerial functions in a worthy manner. The Council of Trent uses this text (vv. 6-7) when it solemnly defines that Priestly Order is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ (cf. “De Sacram. Ordinis”, chap. 3).

The minister, then, must be courageous in performing his office: he should preach the truth unambiguously even if it clashes with the surroundings; he should do so with love, and be open to everyone despite their faults; with sobriety and moderation, always seeing the good of souls, not his own advantage. Since the days of the Fathers the Church has urged priests to develop these virtues: “Priests should be compassionate”, St Polycarp warns; “they should show mercy to all; they should try to reclaim those who go astray, visit the sick, and care for the poor, the orphan and the widow. They should be concerned always to do what is honorable in the sight of God and men. They should avoid any show of anger, any partiality or trace of greed. They should not be over-ready to believe ill of anyone, not too severe in their censure, being well aware that we all owe the debt of sin” (“Letter to the Philippians”, chap. 6).

St Paul, Herald of the Gospel
-----------------------------
[8] Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God.

Continued on next post…

 

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[13] Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; [14] guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

13-14. In guarding what has been entrusted to him (cf. notes on 1 Tim 6:20 and 2 Tim 1:12), Timothy, like all the pastors of the Church, receives the supernatural help of the Holy Spirit. “Guiding the Church in the way of all truth (cf. Jn 16:13) and unifying her in communion and in the works of the ministry, (the Spirit) bestows upon her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her; and he adorns her with his fruits (cf. Eph 4:11-12; 1 Cor 12:4; Gal 5:22)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 4).

The Holy Spirit has been with the Church since the day of Pentecost, ever-active in the sanctification of all believers. His action includes guaranteeing the faithful transmission of the entire body of teaching revealed by God, ensuring that it be unchanged in any way. The First Vatican Council teaches that the Holy Spirit “was not promised to the successors of St. Peter so that they by their own revelation might make known some new teaching; he was promised so that by means of his help they might reverently guard and faithfully expoundthe revelation transmitted by the Apostles, that is, the deposit of faith” (“Pastor Aeternus”, Chap. 4).

 

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Douay Rheims Version, with Haydock Commentary:

6* For which cause I admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace of God, which is in thee, by the imposition of my hands.*

Ver. 6. That thou stir up the grace of God. In the Greek is a metaphor for fire that is blown up again. — Which is in thee by the imposition of my hands, when thou wast ordained bishop. (Witham) — The grace, which St. Paul here exhorts Timothy to stir up in him, was the grace he had received by imposition of hands, either in his confirmation, or at receiving the sacrament of orders, being a bishop. This verse seems to shew that the imposition of hands is used in these two sacraments, as the essential matter of the sacraments, being the instrumental cause of the grace therein conferred. (Denis the Carthusian)

7 *For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of sobriety.

Ver. 7. Of fear. Of a cowardly fear, and want of courage. — Of sobriety. Though the Protestants here translate of a sound mind, yet they translate the same Greek word by sobriety in divers other places, as in Acts xxvi. 25; 1 Timothy ii. 9 and 15. and chap. iii. 2; Titus i. 8. &c. (Witham)

8 Be not thou, therefore, ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner: but labour with the gospel, according to the power of God:

Ver. 8.* Labour with the gospel.* That is, labour with me in preaching, &c. Or by the Greek, be partner with me in suffering. (Witham)

13 Hold the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith, and in the love which is in Christ Jesus.
14 Keep the good deposit by the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in us.

Ver. 14.* Keep the good (doctrine) deposited or committed in trust to thee*. This is different, though the word be the same, from what he spoke of, ver. 12. There he mentioned what he had committed and deposited in the hands of God; here he speaks of what God hath committed, and deposited in the hands of Timothy, after it was delivered to him by St. Paul and the other preachers of the gospel: that is, he speaks of the care Timothy must take to preserve the same sound doctrine, and to teach it to others. See 1 Timothy vi. 20. (Witham)

 

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rekindle . . . my hands: Paul reminds Timothy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which he had received when Paul ordained him, when “he laid his hands on him.” He must “stir into flame,” that is rekindle those gifts in case all the opposition and difficulties which Timothy was meeting with in Ephesus should dampen his fervor.

God . . . spirit: The Holy Spirit, given by God to his Church and in a special way to the leaders in the Church, is a spirit of courage, a spirit that strengthens pastors to continue to teach the faith in true charity and in true wisdom.

ashamed . . . to our Lord: Timothy must never be ashamed therefore to preach the message of the Lord. There were Gentiles who said that the Christian Gospel, with its crucified Leader, was foolishness (1 Cor. 1: 23) but Timothy should not let this impede his work.

nor of me his prisoner: Nor should the fact that his father-in-Christ, his teacher, was in a Roman prison, discourage him, Paul was proud of his chains. They were for Christ’s sake (1: 12), and Timothy too should be proud of them.

your share . . . Gospel: He should gladly accept whatever hardships the preaching of Christ might bring on him. He would have “the strength which comes from God,” divine assistance, to do this.
**
sound . . . heard from me:** if he preached what he had learned from Paul he would preach the true faith, the sound doctrine, the revealed doctrine which is in perfect accord with sound, rational judgment (see Phil. 4: 8-9).

Guard . . . us: Timothy, with the help of the Holy Spirit, was to preserve the Christian revelation in its entirety and free from error. This is the duty of all Christians, but in a special way of the Teachers appointed by Christ in his Church. They have the special assistance of the Holy Spirit to enable them to carry out this duty faithfully. This teaching authority is made up of the Pope and the episcopal college, the successors of Peter and the Apostles.

 

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Questions for personal reflection:

— What manner of gift does Paul seek to stir up in Timothy? What is Timothy urged to do? What is the purpose of Paul’s exhortation?

— What confidence should all Christians have, since, “…God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Compare the two spirits under
discussion.

— How does Paul’s own confidence and determination in the Lord relate to his command for Timothy to “…hold fast…”?

— How does timidity differ from natural shyness? Has timidity (not shyness) ever affected your spiritual life? What three virtues does Paul say the Holy Spirit has given you? How do you think the Holy Spirit wants you to apply them in your circumstances?

— Whether you participate directly in the work of the Magisterium or not, what is your role in guarding the truth of the faith? Have you ever seen the truth contradicted? What might you do to defend it?

 

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Citations of this 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

84 The apostles entrusted the “Sacred deposit” of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46

1. DV 10 § 1; cf. 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:12-14 (Vulg.).

1. DV 10 § 1; cf. Acts 2:42 (Greek); Pius XII, apostolic constitution, Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November 1950:AAS 42 (1950), 756, taken along with the words of St. Cyprian, Epist. 66, 8:CSEL 3/2,733: “The Church is the people united to its Priests, the flock adhering to its Shepherd.”

IV. THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC

857 The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways:

• she was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles,"362 the witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ himself;363

• with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the teaching,364 the “good deposit,” the salutary words she has heard from the apostles;365

• she continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the apostles until Christ’s return, through their successors in pastoral office: the college of bishops, “assisted by priests, in union with the successor of Peter, the Church’s supreme pastor”:366

You are the eternal Shepherd
who never leaves his flock untended.
Through the apostles
you watch over us and protect us always.
You made them shepherds of the flock
to share in the work of your Son. . . .367

1. Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14.

1. Cf. Mt 28:16-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:7-8; Gal 1:1; etc.

1. Cf. Acts 2:42.

1. Cf. 2 Tim 1:13-14.

1. AG 5.

1. Roman Missal, Preface of the Apostles I.

1202 The diverse liturgical traditions have arisen by very reason of the Church’s mission. Churches of the same geographical and cultural area came to celebrate the mystery of Christ through particular expressions characterized by the culture: in the tradition of the "deposit of faith,"67 in liturgical symbolism, in the organization of fraternal communion, in the theological understanding of the mysteries, and in various forms of holiness. Through the liturgical life of a local church, Christ, the light and salvation of all peoples, is made manifest to the particular people and culture to which that Church is sent and in which she is rooted. The Church is catholic, capable of integrating into her unity, while purifying them, all the authentic riches of cultures.68

67. 2 Tim 1:14 (Vulg.).

1. Cf. LG 23; UR 4.

Continued below…

 

[Fidelis]

1556 To fulfill their exalted mission, "the apostles were endowed by Christ with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon them, and by the imposition of hands they passed on to their auxiliaries the gift of the spirit, which is transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration."35

1. Lg 21; cf. Acts 1:8; 24; jn 20:22-23; 1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6-7.

vi. Who Can Receive this Sacrament?

1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."66 The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.67 the college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.68

1. CIC, can. 1024.

1. Cf. Mk 3:14-19; lk 6:12-16; 1 Tim 3:1-13; 2 Tim 1:6; Titus 1:5-9; St. Clement of Rome…

1. Cf. John Paul II, MD 26-27; CDF, Declaration,* Inter Insigniores*: AAS 69 (1977) 98-116.

II. To Bear Witness to the Truth

2471 Before Pilate, Christ proclaims that he "has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth."266 The Christian is not to "be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord."267 In situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it without equivocation, after the example of St. Paul before his judges. We must keep "a clear conscience toward God and toward men."268

1. Jn 18:37.

267. 2 Tim 1:8.

1. Acts 24:16.

 

[Fidelis]

A meditation for personal application on the First Reading from Catholic Matters:

APPLICATION: At the time that St. Paul wrote this letter he was expecting his execution at any moment. He knew not when or how it would come. But Paul is not thinking of himself, or of what fate awaits him; “he has fought the good fight, he has kept the faith,” he confidently leaves the rest to God. He is much more concerned with the spread of the Christian message and with its preservation in its pristine purity, than he is with his own personal affairs, hence this letter to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, as well as another to Titus whom he had appointed Bishop of Crete. The theme of both letters is very similar. They consist of exhortations and encouragements to two somewhat young men, recently appointed to direct the Christian community in these important places.

They had many difficulties to contend with. The majority of the inhabitants in both places were still pagan, with a large sprinkling of Jews. These Jews were bitterly opposed to Christ and his Gospel, even more so than the pagans, and were often influential enough to stir up the pagan authorities against the Christians. Added to this was the difficulty that pagan converts met with from their families and neighbors who thought that the self-mortification for the sake of some future happiness, which to them seemed doubtful, was really the height of folly.

So these young bishops had need of their beloved teacher’s exhortations and advice. It was not given in vain. Within a generation of Paul’s martyrdom, the island of Crete and not only the city of Ephesus but almost all the surrounding districts, were predominantly Christian. Like Paul, his two disciples fought the good fight. They preserved and spread the faith. Nor did they count the cost. Like their teacher, tradition maintains that they both laid down their lives for the sake of Christ and are numbered among the saints in heaven.

To become a Christian in the first century was not exactly like becoming a member of the Retired Businessmen’s Club, or an honorary member of the Old Ladies’ Cultural Society. One had to be ready to face and bear with opposition from all sides. Giving up one’s long-practiced pagan vices was not easy, nor was excommunication from one’s family a trifling thing. Then, there was the continual threat of persecution, arrest and imprisonment on the flimsiest pretext. These persecutions often resulted in martyrdom. If, as Tertullian said, “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians,” it was no wonder that the number of Christians increased so rapidly. There was no shortage of the seed of martyrs’ blood during that first century.

Living the Christian faith in our twentieth century is not quite so dangerous or so difficult perhaps. But living it fully and sincerely can and does make serious demands on weak, human nature. The true Christian today has to face opposition which, while it is not so open and so evident, is all the more dangerous and insidious because of its secrecy and its clever camouflage. The man who thinks he has outgrown childish practice by lolling in bed when he ought to be attending Mass on Sunday morning, and who nags his wife all day for disturbing him when she got up to do her duty towards God, is no better than the pagan husband of Timothy’s day, who forcibly kept his Christian wife from attending her Christian meetings.

The scandal given by those who in their youth offered their lives to serve God and their neighbor, but who now in their mature years find plausible excuses to return to worldly pleasures and pursuits makes them little different from the Judaizers who troubled and seriously disturbed the faith of the Gentile converts. The emphasis on sex and the right of the individual to do as he pleases is nothing less than neo-paganism, which, not content with claiming license for its own devotees, wants everyone else to join its ranks.

The corruption and bribery that is rife in political life and in big business in most countries makes it extremely difficult for a Christian who believes that the seventh commandment should be kept. If he keeps the commandment he’ll very soon find himself out of a job. If he holds on to his job he’ll find himself out with God and his faith.

In most countries of what we call the Western World, leaving out the communist countries, Christianity is not persecuted openly. There is no immediate threat of martyrdom for those who profess it. There is, however, an insidious ground-swell of opposition which comes not only from the non-baptized and they are numerous, but also from those who were baptized but who have found the yoke of Christ too burdensome.

It was never easy to be a loyal follower of Christ. It never will be easy. Yet those who follow him are on the right road. They have to fight the good fight, but the reward is worth the struggle. We who are trying to be loyal must heed Paul’s words to Timothy—we must stir into flame the gift of faith that is in us. We must never be ashamed of the faith which we profess, the cross is a sign of our eternal salvation and the symbol of our present obligations. It is through the cross that we shall earn the crown. It is by climbing Calvary with Christ that we shall reach our Mount of Ascension.