From chains to freedom – February 8
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82
Isa. 59:15b-21; 2 Tim. 1:15-2:13; Mark 10:1-16
In Paul’s letter to Timothy appointed for today, he writes with urgency. “Be strong in the grace that is Christ Jesus,” he states to his friend who is helping spread the message of gospel hope across the Mediterranean region (2 Timothy 2). Paul encourages, “Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” And then he gives advice of this nature: stay out of the weeds of daily life, focus on pleasing your commander Jesus, and follow the rules (v. 4-5). It is the one who works hard who reaps the reward in the field (v. 6). Paul’s message to rise above the minutiae reminds me of my mom’s wisdom to mind my own little red wagon. It isn’t easy. Perhaps that is why the apostle encourages his friend to mull over the words he says, so that God will help cultivate understanding over time.
Paul can give this advice because he is willing to walk the walk of faithfulness. He knows hardship and imprisonment. He does not lose sight of the salvific hope of resurrection in Jesus, even though his own future is unclear. He is an impressive example of faith in God. Paul inspires me, for I have not know the hardships he did. His witness is a compelling one.
Today in the Episcopal church, we can also remember a more recent saint: Josephine Margaret Bakhita, a monastic who died in 1947. She was born in Darfur (western Sudan) and was abducted by Arab slave traders in the 1870s. Sold into slavery and passed from owner to owner, she ended up in Italy in the care of a monastic community called the Canossian Sisters. It was here that she found home, Christ, and renewed purpose. She chose to be baptized as Josephine Margaret; the trauma of her early years caused her to forget her birth name. In her new life as a Christian, she chose to enter religious service, serving Jesus. Though she had been enslaved, she is remembered for being gentle, calm, and wearing a smile all the time. In the description of her life, it is said that her legacy is that transformation is possible through suffering. As a modern African saint, her history creates a story for hope to those also living lives of suffering. She is the patron saint of Sudan and for survivors of human trafficking. Like the apostle Paul, Josephine Bakhita is inspirational. I can almost hear her reading the closing words of our letter from Paul today, speaking of spreading the good news of Jesus: “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.”
Katherine+
Questions for Self-Reflection:
What hardships have shaped your faith?
What suffering has created a chasm in your relationship with Jesus?