Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. 2 Tim 3:14-4:2
Paul reminds us today the importance of the Sacred Scriptures. ”You have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” The Sacred Scriptures are an important gift from God to give us a road map to heaven. Amazingly, so many think that going to Mass on Sundays is all they need to know about the Scriptures. While this is indeed important, Paul reminds us today that the Scriptures give us the wisdom for salvation, for teaching, refutation, correction and training in righteousness. ”Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient.” If it is so important, it should be part of our daily routine. Jesus taught us that He is more important than our families and work. Put a Catholic Bible app on your phone next to the app you use the most and read the Scriptures before you go to any other app in the morning when you rise. If you do, you might just learn something that will help you train yourself to be more holy and prepared for the day God calls you to your heavenly home.
Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” LK 18:1-8
Jesus teaches us something funny today, if you bother God enough He will give you what you want. It reminds me of a baby bib we have that says, “Don’t ask Santa, ask grandma.” We know grandma always takes good care of us. Think about a person in your life who gives you whatever you want, or more importantly whatever you need. Jesus is teaching us today that our Father in heaven wants to give us everything we need to come back with Him in heaven, but we must come to Him in daily persistent prayer. As I have said before, prayer is not a slot machine where we ask God for things and He gives us whatever we ask for. The prayer Christ is teaching us about today is to persistently strive to talk to God like we are texting a friend. It will be some memorized prayer, a phrase from Scripture to get our minds on how amazing God is in all of His glory, it will have petitions, thanksgiving, praise, and adoration involved, some listening, and hopefully just an opportunity to talk to God about everything. ”Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” I think Jesus is trying to tell us prayer is important. If you don’t know where to start, just ask Jesus for help. Put yourself in a quiet place and listen. Give yourself totally and completely to God, He already has for you.
Today’s challenge: Read, reflect, and pray with Sacred Scripture every day. Pray when you wake, throughout the day, and before you sleep. If you do, you will train yourself in holiness, draw closer to God, and be ready to spend eternity with Him.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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