St. Paul’s words to Timothy are very personal and in direct response to a difficulty that Timothy is experiencing as bishop of Ephesus. In his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul addressed himself to the theology of the Church. It lacks some of the personal overtones that we usually associate with St. Paul’s letters. By contradistinction, his letter to Timothy is very personal.
Timothy has been experiencing great difficulty as the leader of this Christian community. He is constantly being countered in his efforts by an element in the Church which believed that their wealth and status in the community should give them leave to make certain demands upon Timothy. At the same time, Timothy is dealing with the Judaizers, those who believe that one had to be Jewish first in order to be Christian. Timothy himself is of mixed parentage, born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father.
So Paul writes to encourage Timothy in his attempts to lead the Church faithfully. In the passage today, he reminds Timothy to “lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.” In other words, don’t give in to those who wish to preach a different Gospel or who wish to dilute the content of the Gospel.
All of us, weak and frail human beings, can become discouraged because of opposition. Although our circumstances are different than those of Timothy, St. Paul’s encouragement stands just as well for us as it did for St. Timothy. Let us cling to the truths we have been taught as we strive to live Gospel lives.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator