Fr Kevin Kilgore

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2 Timothy 3: 10 – 17

You have followed my teaching, way of life,
purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions,
and sufferings, such as happened to me
in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra,
persecutions that I endured.
Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me.
In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse,
deceivers and deceived.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching,
for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.

The Word of the Lord.

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The king of Sparta was once asked, “What shall we teach our boys?” 

The king replied, “That which will be most useful to them when they are men.”

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The Spartans formed a powerful society in ancient Greece, known for their militaristic culture. At age 7, boys started training to become not just men, but warriors, as they learned the values of discipline, teamwork, physical strength, and endurance.

They lived in a dog-eat-dog world. If attacked, they were ready to defend what was theirs.

As a Church, we should also ask ourselves, “What shall we teach our children?” 

Unequivocally, that which will be most useful for them to encounter Christ, living a life of faith, hope, and love. Doing so not only ensures their survival, but spiritually speaking, the survival of the next generation.

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For the last three days, we have been reading through Saint Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, containing his final – and most personal – words ever written. 

Timothy was Paul’s “spiritual son,” whom he not only ordained a priest; Paul also took him under his wing, training Timothy in the Christian life. In our first reading, for example, Paul separates what Timothy has learned from him, compared to Timothy’s unbelieving peers.

Physically, Timothy has ministered with Paul and was a witness on several occasions to him being persecuted. Mentally, Timothy has learned from Paul’s life and teachings. And spiritually, Timothy is carrying them out.

Timothy has learned that living a Christian life demands faith, discipline, hard work, prayer, perseverance, charity, forgiveness, and an unshakable belief in the resurrection of the dead.

The same values which we should also be teaching our children.

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Like Saint Paul, may we live lives worthy of emulating.

To a certain extent, the future of the Church – and the spiritual growth of our children – depend upon it.

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Image credits: (1) NavPress (2) Greek Boston (3) Hawskworth Church of England Primary School

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Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel! 
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What does it look like for a person to fulfill the Law as the Lord describes in today’s Gospel?

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Perhaps one of the greatest examples is that of Saint Paul, the greatest missionary of his age.

Paul not only sailed the open seas preaching the Gospel in foreign lands; he also travelled more than 10,000 miles on foot, often enough in danger of losing his life. Over the course of his journey, he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and left for dead.

But his stubbornness converted souls.

In his final pastoral letter, Paul writes to his “spiritual son,” Timothy, saying, “As for me, the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.”

A faith which came at a very high cost.

The word “departure,” originally meant to, “remove the yoke from an ox,” giving the impression that Paul feels the weight of his ministry is being lifted off of his shoulders, and is now being presented to Timothy, who represents the next generation of believers.

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Each of us is now a successor to Saints Paul and Timothy, who must bear our share of hardship for the Gospel, fulfilling the Law of love.

But how do we know if we’ve done it?

One example I practice is to look at a crucifix at the end of the night. If I can gaze upon the Lord honestly with a sense of loving tiredness because I’ve been charitable towards my neighbor, then I believe I’ve done most, if not all, of what the Lord has asked of me that day.

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While none of us may rival the accomplishments of Saint Paul, we can each follow his example of heroic love in little ways.

And when our time comes, we can say in the words of Simeon, “Lord, now you may let your servant go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen your salvation.” 

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Image credits: (1) Epworth Chapel on the Green (2) Metapsychosis (3) Gretchen Filz, The Catholic Company

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2 Timothy 1: 1-12

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.

For this reason, 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.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.

The Word of the Lord.

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On paper, Saint Paul’s accolades are impossible to repeat: 

The Risen Christ appeared to him; Paul helped to co-author half of the New Testament; he was an Apostle; the greatest missionary of his age, travelling an estimated 10,000 miles on foot; and a man of exceptional spiritual and physical endurance.

But there’s one thing, in particular, that I find endearing about him. Although he had no children of his own, Paul had the tender heart of a father. 

He ordained a number of men to the priesthood, including Timothy, whom he refers to as his, “spiritual son.”

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In our first reading, we hear part a letter, which Paul writes to Timothy, revealing several important truths about their relationship.

First, Paul writes to encourage Timothy, who seems to be struggling in his faith. “I remind you,” he says, “to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”

We don’t know exactly why Timothy was struggling – it could have been the near certain guarantee of Paul’s death, who’s writing to him from prison; the fear of being persecuted himself; or something as simple as dryness in prayer or burn out.

But, “I remember you constantly in my prayers,” Paul says, “night and day.”

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Paul continues with tender-hearted affirmation, reminding Timothy that he follows in the footsteps of other faithful Christians, including his own grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, who came to faith before him. Their faith, he says, “dwells in you.”

Then Paul concludes by challenging Timothy – as I suppose as any father would – to, “bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

Such is the nature of a healthy father-son relationship: there is tenderness and affirmation, but also the firm reminder to become who God created them to be.

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I’d imagine Paul has the same fatherly love for each of us. While he assures us of his prayers, he also reminds us to, “Bear our share of hardship for the Gospel.” 

What might that look like for each of us today?

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Image credits: (1) Realistic Poetry International, Ian Wilcox, Facebook (2) AnaStpaul (3) Catholic Campus Ministry