Fighting Comfort and Complacency

     Today's reading is from St. Paul's second letter to Timothy. He directs his protégé:

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 5 As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. 6 For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Tm 4:1-8)

     It seems as though St. Paul could very well be describing modern society. More and more, the sound teaching of the Church is being disregarded or even attacked. In its place, people have chosen to follow other authorities that "suit their own likings." The danger in this is that by wandering away from the truth, we risk separating ourselves from the Lord's saving grace and protecting embrace.

     St. Paul stresses we must be diligent in practicing a constancy in our faith. We cannot rest on our laurels and be pleased with our current state. Too often, we find that temptation strikes at the moment when we are pleased with ourselves and let down our guard. For myself, the summer is a tough time to find motivation to do the extra that is necessary for me to continue to grow in my faith. I still have been regularly attending daily mass, but I have found myself being too exhausted most days to do the spiritual reading and meditation necessary to do the extra things such as producing quality posts for the blog. I realized just this morning that it had been almost a week since the last post!

     In this reading, we are implored to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. It is so easy to become distracted with the day-to-day chores, but we are called to do more than merely survive.  As Pope Benedict XVI has said, the world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness. So take the extra time today and read the bible for five minutes or pray for five minutes or sit in silence for five minutes, simply thanking God for the blessings you have been given today. Remember, no time sacrificed for God EVER goes to waste!
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Please keep in your prayers my brother, sister-in-law and her family as they mourn the death of her mother. May God grant her eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon her forever.