Feast of St. Boniface 2010

The Church celebrates the feast of St. Boniface (675-755) today. He was honoured with the title of the Apostle of Germany. He was a bishop and died as a missionary martyr. As a bishop, St. Boniface held many synods to enforce the canon. In 754, he resigned the archdiocese of Mainz to his disciple Lullus and took up his early career as a missionary at an advanced age of 79 and died a martyr! Blessed be God for animating even a fragile old man.

Today, we finish reading the Second Epistle of Timothy. He charged Timothy to be urgent in preaching the gospel.
preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching (2 Timothy 4:2).
Paul also warned Timothy of the difficulty in preaching in an age when people loved novelty rather than truth.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings,
and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Doesn't it sound familiar nowadays as well? Men's hearts are void because of the convenience and comfort modern life afford. The truth of Jesus is neither convenient nor comfortable. How shall we deal with the situation?
As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry (2 Timothy 4:5).
There is no short-cut though modern people love short-cuts. Just do it. Do the right thing.

Paul felt that his days were numbered. He accepted it in tranquility. He had no regrets for he had put up a good fight and kept his faith. He bade Timothy to follow his footsteps.
For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

In his last words, Paul mentioned a lot of names. Some were failures whom Paul warned against. Some were good and would be helpful co-workers for Timothy.
Demas had deserted him and gone to Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10).
Alexander the coppersmith had done Paul great harm (2 Timothy 4:14). Paul told Timothy to beware of Alexander (2 Timothy 4:15).
Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10b).
Luke alone stayed with Paul (2 Timothy 4:11).
Paul urged Timothy to come over from Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:9) and asked him to bring Mark along with him (2 Timothy 4:11). He had sent Tychicus back to Ephesus, probably to relieve Timothy of his assignment temporarily (2 Timothy 4:12). Paul called Tychicus a beloved brother and faithful minister (Ephesians 6:21). He had been working with Paul in Ephesus before (Acts 20:4). The editors of KJV added at the end of the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians that the epistles were written or copied by Tychicus in Rome.
At Troas, Paul had left his cloak to a Carpus (2 Timothy 4:13).
Paul sent his greetings to Prisca, Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus in Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19).
Paul had sent his servant Erastus in Ephesus (Acts 19:22) to Corinth (2 Timothy 4:20a) who later had become the chamberlain of Corinth (Romans 16:23).
Paul left Trophimus, a fellow Ephesian of Tychicus, in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20b).
Eubulus, Pudens and Linus and Claudia from Rome sent their regards to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:21).
Paul had been working with a lot of people. He remembered them well and left us a record the ministers of God's word. They become immortalized in Paul's epistles.

Dear Lord, I thank You for You have elected many people to serve You and bring salvation to all. You are blessed forever. Amen.