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2 Timothy 4:10-17
Beloved:
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
The Word of the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered what life was like for the first Christians? Who ran the race of life and kept the faith? Who gave up? Who stumbled but persevered in the end?
We find examples of all three in today’s first reading.
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First is Demas, who Saint Paul says became, “enamored with the present world.” Demas deserted the faith. What makes his story so tragic is that Paul writes about him earlier in his life, when he was an active part of the Church.
We don’t know why Demas gave up. Maybe he didn’t realize how heavy the cross of Christianity would be. Maybe he was too attached to worldly things. Maybe he just slowly drifted like some Christians do today.
Whatever the reason was, Demas gave up.
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Then Paul mentions Saint Mark. Paul is currently on his way to Rome, where he will be imprisoned – and ultimately beheaded. He’s reached the end of his days, and he calls upon Mark to help him.
This is a beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation, because Saint Mark deserted Paul on one of his missionary journeys. Mark was likely afraid of all the trouble Paul was encountering while preaching the Gospel, so he went home.
But the fact that Paul is calling upon him now is a sign that they were reconciled; the Holy Spirit awakened the hero once asleep in Mark’s soul.
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Finally, we hear of Saint Luke, whom Paul says is, “the only one with me.” Like Paul, Luke never stumbled once he met Jesus Christ; he persevered to the end.
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While Demas gave up – and Mark stumbled – Paul, Mark, and Luke all ran the race of life to the finish and kept the faith.
May they pray for us as we hope to do the same.
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Image credits: (1) Catacombs, Wikipedia (2) The Evangelists St. Paul and St. Luke, Matthais Stop (3) Overwhelming Pride, WordPress