But the Gospel endures forever
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Psalm 95; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10
“God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). Such spirit inspired prophet Habakkuk to ask difficult questions: “How long, O Lord, shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?”(Hab 1:2). The prophet’s world was dominated by the powerful Babylonian empire. It came to power around 612 BC and then in 587 BC destroyed Jerusalem. “Why do you make me see iniquity?” (Hab 1:3). How many people lost their faith seeing the wicked destroying the righteous and escaping with impunity (Hab 1:13)? In such moments we need to cry: “Lord, increase our faith” (Lk 17:5).
“Write the vision down; inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that it can be read easily” (Hab 2:2) is God’s response to the prophet’s complaint. We do not know what was shown to the prophet. However, we know the fate of the mighty Babylonian empire: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” (Rev 18: 2) never to arise again. The one who make “earth tremble” and who “shook kingdoms” was thrown “to the depths of the pit!” (Is 14:15-16). But, the prophet did not know it. He could only trust in God’s word and live by faith (Rom 1:17; Hab 2:4).
“Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man” (CCC, 162), and at the same time “the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself” (CCC, 166). Christ appeared to the apostles at the Sea of Galilee and called them to follow him (Mark 1: 16-20). The gift of vocation came from God. The apostles abandoned everything and followed him – in freedom they responded to this call (Mark 1: 16-20; Luke 5: 27-28). ” In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace” (CCC, 155). But this is just the beginning. “To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end”, we need to care for it, because without care this precious gift can be lost (CCC, 162).
“For this reason I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). Everyone who spent an evening around a campfire knows that to sustain the fire, you need to keep adding wood to it. The same applies to our vocation. At the beginning we are full of enthusiasm but over the time this enthusiasm cools down. The apostle was aware of this and so he reminded Timothy to guard faithfully what he received from him – apostolic proclamation of faith (2 Tim 1:13-14).
“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” (Luke 17:10). According to the tradition, the second letter of Paul to Timothy is the last letter of the apostle and was written from prison. Paul felt alone. Some abandoned him and some were sent to different mission fields – only Luke accompanied him (2 Timothy 4:11). This situation is presented in the movie created in 2018, “Paul, Apostle of Christ”. At the end of the story, Paul is led from this prison to his death. Who would have thought then that this “unprofitable servant”, his writings, and the Church he helped to establish would outlive the powerful Roman empire?
Empires rise and fall, “but the word of our God endures forever” (Is 40: 8). Saint Peter explains to us that this word is the Good News about Jesus’ victory over all the powers of evil, over every sin and over death (1 Peter 1:25). Today we hear this Good News again, so let us not harden our hearts (Ps 95: 8), but put our trust in it and gain the fullness of life. For the Gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16).
You can also visit the author's page: Reading Bible
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Psalm 95; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10
“God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). Such spirit inspired prophet Habakkuk to ask difficult questions: “How long, O Lord, shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?”(Hab 1:2). The prophet’s world was dominated by the powerful Babylonian empire. It came to power around 612 BC and then in 587 BC destroyed Jerusalem. “Why do you make me see iniquity?” (Hab 1:3). How many people lost their faith seeing the wicked destroying the righteous and escaping with impunity (Hab 1:13)? In such moments we need to cry: “Lord, increase our faith” (Lk 17:5).
“Write the vision down; inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that it can be read easily” (Hab 2:2) is God’s response to the prophet’s complaint. We do not know what was shown to the prophet. However, we know the fate of the mighty Babylonian empire: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” (Rev 18: 2) never to arise again. The one who make “earth tremble” and who “shook kingdoms” was thrown “to the depths of the pit!” (Is 14:15-16). But, the prophet did not know it. He could only trust in God’s word and live by faith (Rom 1:17; Hab 2:4).
“Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man” (CCC, 162), and at the same time “the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself” (CCC, 166). Christ appeared to the apostles at the Sea of Galilee and called them to follow him (Mark 1: 16-20). The gift of vocation came from God. The apostles abandoned everything and followed him – in freedom they responded to this call (Mark 1: 16-20; Luke 5: 27-28). ” In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace” (CCC, 155). But this is just the beginning. “To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end”, we need to care for it, because without care this precious gift can be lost (CCC, 162).
“For this reason I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). Everyone who spent an evening around a campfire knows that to sustain the fire, you need to keep adding wood to it. The same applies to our vocation. At the beginning we are full of enthusiasm but over the time this enthusiasm cools down. The apostle was aware of this and so he reminded Timothy to guard faithfully what he received from him – apostolic proclamation of faith (2 Tim 1:13-14).
“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” (Luke 17:10). According to the tradition, the second letter of Paul to Timothy is the last letter of the apostle and was written from prison. Paul felt alone. Some abandoned him and some were sent to different mission fields – only Luke accompanied him (2 Timothy 4:11). This situation is presented in the movie created in 2018, “Paul, Apostle of Christ”. At the end of the story, Paul is led from this prison to his death. Who would have thought then that this “unprofitable servant”, his writings, and the Church he helped to establish would outlive the powerful Roman empire?
Empires rise and fall, “but the word of our God endures forever” (Is 40: 8). Saint Peter explains to us that this word is the Good News about Jesus’ victory over all the powers of evil, over every sin and over death (1 Peter 1:25). Today we hear this Good News again, so let us not harden our hearts (Ps 95: 8), but put our trust in it and gain the fullness of life. For the Gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16).
You can also visit the author's page: Reading Bible
