"I have competed well; I have finished the race."That's what St. Paul told Timothy in his second letter to him (2 Tim 4:7 - today's reading).
To me, it's a great reminder that our life on this Earth is a constant competition - that we are always engaged in spiritual battle. A battle that Pope John Paul II described as "an invisible struggle in which we engage every day against temptations."
It's so easy to forget that - especially in a world with so many physical, Earthly distractions. But unfortunately, forgetting that there is a competition going on is the equivalent of joining the other team.
Luckily, we don't need to be beaten, hunted, or chained in prison like St. Paul to make it to Paradise. In fact, as he notes, we don't even need to win the race.
Christ already did that for us.
We just need to finish.
God Bless.
8 comments:
Amen to this- Christ won the race. It is comforting in a way to know we just need to finish it.
Thanks for the reminder of that, Michael.
God bless!
You're right Michael. The thing is ... we often fall and stumble on our way to finish the race ... and it can be so hard at times too.
But then, Christ fell and stumbled several times on the way to Calvary; and He didn't give up ... for our sake!
God bless you always.
Nice post Michael. I don't think that we will ever fully realize what Christ did for us. And you are so right, the world is filled with distractions, even 'good' ones. Reminds me of the book of Job and the cosmic battle described there. Our words, our actions have consequences. Each day we can start anew...continuing on the journey to finish. Thanks for the post.
Andie
Karinann, Victor, and Andie: Thanks so much for the comments. I'm always so inspired by St. Paul's journey to God and the impact he had on our religion. It really is remarkable.
And you are right - the race is really hard. (I hope my post didn't come across as nonchalant)
Lucky for us we have a really good Captain ;)
I wouldn't say the post was non-chalant, but I finished reading it with the thought that it all seems so easy! How I wish it were!
Michael,
I think the more we love Him, the stronger the battle is. At times, a thought will come through my mind, and I will stop, and say aloud, "Get behind me Satan!"
I am homebound, but there are still struggles and battle of the mind. In the workplace there were so many opportunities... wolves in sheep's clothing.
I thank God for each day, and for blessing He pours over our heads.
God bless you, Michael!
I agree with Joey, the more we love Him, the stronger the battle is!
Nice post Michael.
I like what you wrote - "We just need to finish." I often compare myself to the slow turtle who plods along to the finish line while the hare sleeps. I am pretty slow but hopefully steady!
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