Replies

From: 2 Timothy 1:1-8

Greeting

[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the
promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, [2] To Timothy, my beloved
child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord. [3] I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my
fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. [4] As I remember
your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with
joy. [5] I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in
your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells
in you.

Response to Grace

[6] Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you
through the laying on of my hands; [7] God did not give us a spirit of
timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

St Paul, Herald of the Gospel

[8] Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power of
God.

Commentary:

1-2. The greeting is like that of 1 Timothy, although now St Paul adds a
specific reference to the purpose of his God-given call to the
apostolate--"according to the promise of the life which is in Christ
Jesus". Christ fulfills all the promises of happiness given to Abraham
and the other Old Testament patriarchs. The purpose of the Gospel message
is to let men know that they have been called to enjoy a new life in
Christ, that is, the divine life whose germ we receive at Baptism. That
sacrament initiates the life of grace in the soul, and ultimately that
life will blossom into eternal life (cf. 1 Tim 1:16; 6:12; Tit 1:2; 3:9).

On the exact meaning of the _expression "in Christ Jesus", see the note on
1 Tim 1:14.

3. "I thank God": this is not a spontaneous _expression of gratitude but
rather a permanent disposition of Paul's soul.

St Paul makes the point that his attitude of service and worship is the
same as that of his ancestors, the righteous of the Old Testament, for
although the Gospel is something new it does not involve a break with the
earlier revelation; rather it brings that revelation to fulfillment. The
Apostle pays tribute to the chosen people, not hiding his satisfaction at
being a Jew himself (cf. Rom 9:3; 11:1; Gal 2:15). "The Church of Christ
acknowledges", Vatican II states, "that in God's plan of salvation the
beginning of her faith and election is to be found in the patriarchs,
Moses and the prophets [...]. The Church cannot forget that she received
the revelation of the Old Testament by way of that people with whom God
in his inexpressible mercy established the ancient covenant [...]. She is
mindful, moreover, that the Apostles, the pillars on which the Church
stands, were of Jewish descent, as were many of those early disciples who
proclaimed the Gospel of Christ to the world" ("Nostra Aetate", 4).

6. "The gift of God" is the priestly character which Timothy received on
the day of his ordination. St Paul is using very graphic and precise
language: by the sacrament of Order a divine gift is conferred on the
priest; it is like an ember which needs to be revived from time to time
in order to make it glow and give forth the warmth it contains. St Thomas
Aquinas comments that "the grace of God is like a fire. which does not
flow when it is covered by ashes; the same thing happens when grace is
covered over in a person by sluggishness or natural fear" ("Commentary on
2 Tim, ad loc.").

The gifts which God confers on the priest "are not transitory or
temporary in him, but stable and permanent, attached as they are to an
indelible character, impressed on his soul, by which he is made a priest
forever (cf. Ps 109:4), in the likeness of Him in whose priesthood he has
been made to share" (Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 17).

"The laying on of my hands": see the note on 1 Tim 4:14.

7. The gift of God, received in the sacrament of Order by the laying on
of hands, includes sanctifying grace and sacramental grace, and the
actual graces needed for performing ministerial functions in a worthy
manner. The Council of Trent uses this text (vv. 6-7) when it solemnly
defines that Priestly Order is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ
(cf. "De Sacram. Ordinis", chap. 3).

The minister, then, must be courageous in performing his office: he
should preach the truth unambiguously even if it clashes with the
surroundings; he should do so with love, and be open to everyone despite
their faults; with sobriety and moderation, always seeing the good of
souls, not his own advantage. Since the days of the Fathers the Church
has urged priests to develop these virtues: "Priests should be
compassionate", St Polycarp warns; "they should show mercy to all; they
should try to reclaim those who go astray, visit the sick, and care for
the poor, the orphan and the widow. They should be concerned always to do
what is honorable in the sight of God and men. They should avoid any show
of anger, any partiality or trace of greed. They should not be over-ready
to believe ill of anyone, not too severe in their censure, being well
aware that we all owe the debt of sin" ("Letter to the Philippians",
chap. 6).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.