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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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Our first reading captures the story of three Christians with different experiences of faith.
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The first was Demas.
Demas was once a believer; Paul wrote about him in his earlier letters. But sadly, Demas became, “enamored with the world.”
For some reason, he lost his faith…and, by extension, his soul.
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Then there’s Saint Mark.
Mark and Paul once ministered together, but Mark abandoned Paul on one of their early missionary journeys, perhaps out of fear of persecution.
Paul calls upon Mark from his prison cell in Rome, where the two are eventually reconciled and later martyred.
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Finally, there’s Saint Luke, whose feast day we celebrate today.
Paul says that Luke was, “the only one with me.” He was consistently faithful and never gave up.
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Three Christians. Three different stories.
One lost his faith. Another struggled with it. Another was steadfastly loyal.
Each remind us that faith comes at a cost.
May the Lord give us the strength we need to be faithful, whatever the cost may be.
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Image credits: (1) (2) Christianity Today (3) Verbum Bible