For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.   (7) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.  (8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

(17) But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.  Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.  (18) And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen!

This Sunday the Roman calendar dedicates Sunday, June 29, for the celebration of the lives of saints Peter and Paul.  So it is fitting that we study 2nd Timothy as this letter written to Timothy by the Apostle Paul is Paul’s last will and testament.  Paul writes from prison in Rome – only Luke is with him at the end and perhaps Luke is writing down this message for him.

In verses 4 – 6, Paul is telling Timothy, very matter of fact, that he is about to die.  Paul has lived his life in Christ since the road to Damascus conversion and compares his immanent death to the pouring out of wine on the completed religious sacrifice of the Old Testament.  Paul then continues by using the sports metaphors he has used throughout his writings.  In his day the Olympic games were relatively new and wildly popular – Paul tells us he has “fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.”   Paul often used the concept of running a marathon to teach the early Christians that  Christian life is not a sprint – we must endure with Christ as our goal, our life.  Paul is persuaded that this world is the shadow and Christ is the substance, the reality.    Paul has kept the faith – such beautiful words at the end of one’s life  – and the Lord will give him the winner’s crown of righteousness.   Then Paul, always the teacher, the Apostle by the will of God, tells us that that crown is also for all who love the Lord  and finish the race.

Paul then reviews his recent past and warns Timothy of human frailty.  He urges Timothy to follow his example and to trust in Christ – to be faithful, brave and to endure.  This second letter to Timothy is so immediate and beautiful.  It is a vivid portrayal of Paul’s spirit, mind and heart at the end of his life.  He is a man who is already moving into the kingdom of his Lord, Jesus Christ.  I want to say “don’t go” or “take me with you” but Paul’s words in verses 4 – 6 tell us we have to turn our lives over to Christ and follow his timeline for us.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of Christ?  (17) For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians at Corinth.   Corinth was a large, commercial city with easy access by both land and sea.  The Romans had chosen Corinth over Athens to be the capitol city of the ancient province of Achaia and it was known to be a city of many pagan temples – known also for immorality and sanctioned religious prostitution.  It was apparently difficult for the Corinthian Christians to discard all heathen customs – the religion of idols of their parents and countrymen.  Some of the Christians felt they could pass from Christian communion to heathen temple festivities, observing both Christian and pagan rites.  They were doing this in the name of Christian liberty – they decided that an idol is nothing and therefore pagan rituals are insignificant and God isn’t really too concerned.

Some of the Christian Corinthians felt they were committed to the gospel and could safely participate in pagan cultural events with no fear of backsliding.  But  Paul urges his audience to “flee from idolatry”.  He uses the Lord’s supper – which is basic to the Church as a memorial of Christ’s life given for man –  to argue that when Christians take communion they are in a very real way in communion with Christ and other worshippers and  with the one being worshipped.  That is why a Christian cannot go to an idol feast – because he/she would be involved with the idol worshippers and the one “worshipped”, like it or not.  He tells the Corinthians you cannot do both.

Paul warns his readers to beware of temptation and to not let what happened to the Israelites in the desert, who turned to idolatry and sexual immorality, happen to them.  The destroyer is real and the way to salvation is always perilous.  God is faithful and will always provide a way to escape from temptation but beware of idolatry while thinking you stand firm as Christians.  “If determined wickedness has slain its thousands, Heedlessness has slain its tens of thousands.”

Finally brethren, farewell.  Become complete.  Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; an the God of love and peace will be with you.  (12) Greet one another with a holy kiss.  (13) All the saints greet you.  (14) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

The Apostle Paul wrote this second letter to the Corinthians and today’s reading is from the 13th chapter of the letter.  The ancient Church there as a whole has returned to allegiance to the gospel as preached by Paul but there are subverters at work and that is why Paul is vehement when he announces his intention to deal severely with dissension when he arrives in Corinth for the “third” time.  Paul writes that any case requiring disci;linary treatment will be dealt with immediately and that he intends to exercise his spiritual authority – he writes this so that voluntary action on the part of the Corinthians would spare Paul harsh action when he arrives.  In questioning the authority of Paul the Corinthians were questioning Christ who spoke in him.  To challenge Paul they are challenging Christ.

Paul closes Chapter 13 with love.  He prays that they will face their duties and overcome friction, fix dissension,  and that the love and peace of God will be in them.  He ends with an apostolic benediction which is the explicit doctrine of the trinity which is celebrate this Sunday in the Roman calendar of mass. This doctrine is based on God being revealed in the historical Christ – it really happened – and that the Church possesses this knowledge through the work of the Spirit.  The historical Christ is paramount here and it is through the Holy Spirit that the grace of Jesus and the love of God become possessions of Christian men.

Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

(4) There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  (5) There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  (6) And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  (7) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all

(12) For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  (13) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

The first letter to the Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians at Corinth in response to reports that disputes among believers threatened to divide the local church.  Today is Pentecost Sunday in the Catholic church when we celebrate the sending of the Spirit into our world.  Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians is written on the nature, intent and worth of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Corinthians were once heathen and had no experience in spiritual things.  They were worshippers of idols which had no utterance, no power – consequently the whole worship system of idols was man made.  Now the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached there by Paul.  Paul is saying that the confession – act of belief/faith – of Jesus as Lord means that Christians acknowledge the influence of the Spirit who was sent by Jesus – we do not discover the Lordship of Jesus by ourselves but as something which God in His grace has revealed to us.

In the church at Corinth amazing things were happening but there was probably hysterical excitement and self delusion – so Paul deals with the true manifestations of the Spirit.  There were a variety of gifts for each man.  Those directly bestowed by the Spirit were healing, the gift of tongues, prophesying/preaching and underneath it all was faith working by love.  Paul is telling the Corinthians that there are many ministries and operations of the Church but there is the same God who works in all.  There is a unity of source of all spiritual gifts which is essentially the unity of the Church.  Paul compares the union of the faithful in Christ through the Spirit, with all their different gifts,  to the organic union of the body with it’s different members functioning as a whole.

By saying all the faithful are baptized into one body, receiving one spirit, Paul means all – from the Jews to the Greeks (Gentiles), from slaves to free men – all are influenced by one Spirit.  This is the unity of the Church.  Within it there are differing gifts and functions just like the body and every one is a gift of the Spirit and designed for the good of the whole.  Paul ends Chapter 12 by speaking of love.  With the different gifts to believers there is danger of working against each other so we have the greatest gift – and command –  of love to bind us together.

but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  (14) If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.  (15) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a their, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.  (16) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in the matter.

The Apostle Peter wrote this letter to Christians living in the first century A.D. to encourage them to bear up under the suffering Peter is assuming will come to them as believers of the Gospel.  Peter not only encourages them to endure in the face of insults, slander and abuse but for the faithful to rejoice in their distress.

Peter cautions Christians to NOT fear intimidation and not to be troubled.  Christians have as their authority the name of Jesus who called blessed those who endure for His sake, no matter what the circumstance.  Christ does not leave the faithful to bear their suffering alone – He walks within them.  It can be hard to see the divine plan at work – hard to see beyond  pain and grief to discern God’s sovereignty in present suffering but, the faithful should imitate Christ who depended on prayer and the Spirit in times of trial and temptation.  The Spirit of Glory will refresh the man/woman who suffers for the gospel.

This is the work of our salvation – done by the resting of the Spirit on believers.  The Bible tells us that Jesus warned us against anxiety about this life and fears for our earthly possessions.  Jesus said that true rest comes from knowing that the Father cares for us and will provide us with all we need –  the idea of spiritual rest.   We are told that the fact of persecution for the gospel is an indication of a spiritually prosperous life.  The rest of God allows the believer to function as a Child of God.

Peter further tells his audience that they are to be ready to suffer for being rightly related to God and NOT to suffer for being wrongly related to men – as a thief, murderer or evildoer.

The life and conduct of a Christian is the best argument that he/she does not deserve the suffering the believer bears for the name of Christ.  The Apostle Peter gloried in his privilege to suffer for the name of Christ.  Quoting Robert Leighton:  “Consider, it is but a short while, and the wicked and their scoffs shall vanish; they shall not be.  This shame will presently be over, this disgrace is of short date, but the glory, and the Spirit of glory, are eternal.  What though thou shouldst be poor, and defamed and despised, and be the common mark of scorn and all injuries, yet the end of them all is at hand.”