I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
Saint Paul routinely sent greetings to his friends, naming many of them, as he finished his letters. Two millennia later these names sound in our churches and we wonder who they were, and how they deserved to be memorialized for all time. They were friends of Saint Paul.
His devotion to his companions and fellow missionaries began with his gratitude to God “whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did…” His love of God was not a personal discovery; he received it as an heir of Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebecca; Jacob, Leah and Rachel; and their twelve sons with their wives.
Steeped in that religious tradition, his love of God guided his thoughts, feelings, and reactions. There were always alternatives, of course, offered by the cynical and hypocritical, but Paul was ordinarily guided by the Spirit of his ancestors. For a brief while he had fallen under the Pharisaic spirit which grossly imitated God’s spirit, offering a counterfeit spirituality. But when the Lord pulled him up short on the road to Damascus, he immediately abandoned that foolishness and returned to the worship of the One True God.
It was in that spirit that he would write to his protege Timothy, “I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.” If we think of the Spirit only as a dove or a wind, we might miss the roots of Saint Paul’s faith, its foundation and grounding in his religious tradition. We should not ignore those images of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is more than an airy, impulsive creativity; it is also a rock-solid anchor in an ancient heritage.
Today we celebrate the memory of Paul’s disciples, the bishops Timothy and Titus. They received from him what they passed on to others, that “apostolic foundation” which you and I enjoy today. In the heady days following the Second Vatican Council, as Catholics of all stripes seemed to rediscover the love of the Scriptures, wiser heads reminded us that a lot had transpired since the last New Testament documents appeared. We should not neglect the Patristic age when the Church formed its liturgies, selected its scriptures, hammered out its doctrines, and created structures of leadership. We must recognize the complex history of the Church through its various ages, and the contributions of its martyrs, doctors, confessors, and virgins.
We should also understand the continual challenges to our faith. There has never been a time when the Church was not challenged by forces within the church or outside it. There were no "Good Old Days."
Every generation receives the spirit of Saint Paul’s ancestors; contributes its own insights and adventures; and passes it along to the next generation. We’re living in a most amazing, confusing age. Thank God, our ancestors still lead the way.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.