Faithful Competitor - Crowned Victor

Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we hear the final verses of St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. It is clear that he is well aware that his time is coming to a close. Once again, he compares his life to that of an athlete competing in a race. “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” Just as the triumphant athlete is crowned with laurel leaves, Paul asserts that God, the just judge, will place a crown of righteousness upon his head. Paul is in right relationship with God. He knows that he is dependent upon God for everything. Just as he asserts that God will reward him for remaining in his right relationship, he goes on to say that all who have longed for the appearance of God will receive the same award.

Just as Jesus was abandoned by his followers, Paul has been abandoned by all the Christians of Rome as he stands before the emperor for judgment. His first appearance apparently went well for him which Paul credits to the fact that God intends to continue to use him to announce the good news to the Gentiles. At the same time, it is also evident that Paul realizes that eventually he will die for the faith just as so many before him have died defending their faith in Jesus Christ.

Because he realizes that he will no longer be able to mentor his disciple Timothy, he adds one final exhortation. He uses his own faithfulness as a guide for Timothy. These verses display Paul as a living embodiment of all he is purported to have written to Timothy – a flesh and blood model worthy of emulation. “As I have suffered for the Gospel, so too you must look forward to the same thing.”

Why did the Roman Christians desert Paul in his final hour? We must remember that throughout his life there have been others who have not been very keen on his version of the Gospel. Both the Jewish Christian community and the Gnostics have made every effort to cancel his successes throughout the Gentile world, maintaining that to be Christian, one must first be Jewish or have a special knowledge of God. They would hardly want to expose themselves unnecessarily in Nero’s court as would be necessary if they were to come to the defense of Paul before the emperor. Eventually, Nero’s hatred for those who worship a God other than himself will result in the first of many dire persecutions that will breakout over the whole community. Despite the gloomy prospects, however, Paul is full of ultimate confidence: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.”

Ultimately, it is St. Paul’s faithfulness to the Gospel that will win out in the end. St. Timothy, is devoted disciple, will also eventually triumph over those who would silence the good news of the Gospel. Just as St. Paul exhorts Timothy to use him as a model for his own ministry, his words echo in our own times as a blueprint for how we are to triumph over those who hold the Gospel in scorn. In many parts of the world, there are still those who persecute believers. In our own world, though we are not physically persecuted, we are held in contempt by those who ascribe to a life of excessive consumerism and pleasure.

As the Book of Sirach reminds us today, God “hears the cries of the poor and the oppressed. He is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.” The sacred author of this book, Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach, was a wise and experienced observer of life. He is addressing himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through the study of the holy books, and through tradition. The Church of our own time also addresses itself to us with the same motive. So many have turned away from religious faith. So many have lost integrity. As Jesus himself says elsewhere in the Gospel, “When the Son of Man returns, will he find any faith on the earth?” As we listen to St. Paul’s farewell to Timothy, let us endeavor to emulate his faithful life of following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.