Proclaiming the Gospel of Life
June 5, 2024 - Wednesday of the Ninth Week, Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop, and Martyr
2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
After listening to excerpts from the spiritual testament of Saint Peter over the previous two days, today and tomorrow, we are listening to excerpts from the spiritual testament of Saint Paul. The second letter written to his beloved disciple, Timothy, is considered to be the last letter of Paul. It was written from prison where Paul felt tired, lonely, and old.
The letter begins with a rather unusual phrase. In the letter to the Romans, Paul sees his vocation as being called to proclaim the Gospel (see Rom. 1:1), but here he writes about being called to proclaim "the promise of life in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:1). Perhaps the sense of impending death contributed to that change. As a Jew and a former Pharisee, Paul believed in the resurrection of the dead. His encounter with the risen Christ made him realize that the "spring" of the resurrection is here and Christ is the first fruit of those who died. Moreover, in his letter to the Philippians, he confessed that he would rather leave this earth and be with Christ than remain here (see Phil. 1:23). As he was writing to Timothy, he knew that soon his desire would come true.
The phrase that presents our faith as "the promise of life in Christ Jesus" reminds me of a similar phrase in the Acts of the Apostles. Christ's apostles were thrown into prison for preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem, but then an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, set them free, and told them: "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life" (Acts 5:20). The angel describes the Gospel as the words of a unique life. What kind of life is it?
If you have ever been to a museum, you have encountered statues of famous people of the past. But, no matter how beautiful a statue can be, and how close the semblance to the person it represents, there is no life in it. There are three Greek words describing life: “Bios” or physiological life, “psyche” or our inner life, and finally “zoe” referring to “spiritual life that is in God from all eternity” (C.S. Lewis). The promise of life in Christ Jesus refers to this third word, "Zoe". Those who possess it are truly alive, those who do not have it are like a statue - devoid of real life.
In his sermon, after making a paralyzed man walk in Jesus' name, Peter said that Jesus is the Author of Life (see Acts 3:15). John's Gospel, introducing the eternal Word of God, proclaims that "in him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4), and then before raising Lazarus from the grave, Jesus declares: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25-26). The way that leads to this life is repentance (see Acts 11:18), and we enter into this life through faith and baptism. We die with Christ and are buried with Christ to "walk in the newness of life" (see Rom. 6:3-4).
St. Charles de Foucauld, who spent hours before the Blessed Sacrament adoring Christ, compared people to a monstrance - most of them were empty, without Christ in their hearts. The proclamation of the promise of life in Christ Jesus aims to bring Christ, the Author of life, into the hearts of humanity. Paul completed this task in his life, how about us today?