Saturday 19th September – Saturday of week 24 of the year

Reflection: 1 Timothy 6: 13-16

FINISHING STRONG

“Thank God for this beautiful day” exclaimed Ifeoma as she yawned tiredly. It was her matriculation to start studying her dream course after three years of battling with the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the university admission process. As she retired to bed she reflected on the words of the Vice Chancellor. After congratulating the new students on their admission, he had reminded them that they were beginning a journey, aimed at acquiring knowledge and graduating with excellent grades and their joy will be full only if they persevered in their studies and achieved this goal at graduation.

The words of the vice chancellor hold true not only for students but also for us all as Christians. Through our baptism, God has transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Col 1:13); and our journey of faith has begun. We have become children of God and heirs to His kingdom. Yet, it is only if we strive to live out our call to holiness each day and persevere in it till the very end that we receive the final reward of our faith.

Let us take St Paul’s admonishment to Timothy in today’s first reading to be obedient to all that he had been told with no faults or failures, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ as our own. Our Christian profession will be of no benefit to us if we begin our journey of faith well but allow ourselves to drift away, distracted by the lure of the world around us. We must aim at finishing strong. We must endure to the end so that we can be saved (Matt 24:13). Let us approach our Lord in the Sacrament of Penance each time we fall and receive His ever abounding strength for the journey at the table of the Eucharist.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of my faith. Please help me to persevere in living it out sincerely till the very end. Amen.

KNOW YOUR FAITH: CCC 1023 – Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face.

HIDE A TREASURE: “For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.” Hebrews 3:14 RSV-CE

Today’s Readings: 1 Timothy 6:13-16; Psalm100:1-5; Luke18: 4-15