Compete well for the Faith

[Prayer-Soldier]

Compete Well for the Faith

Scripture:

Woe to you that are wealthy in Sion, and to you that have confidence in the mountain of Samaria: you great men, heads of the people, that go in with state into the house of Israel.

You that sleep upon beds of ivory, and are wanton on your couches: that eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the herd; you that sing to the sound of the psaltery: they have thought themselves to have instruments of music like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best ointments: and they are not concerned for the affliction of Joseph. Wherefore now they shall go captive at the head of them that go into captivity: and the faction of the luxurious ones shall be taken away. (Amos 6:1, 4-7)

But you, O man of God, fly these things: and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, where unto you are called and be it confessed a good confession before many witnesses. I charge you before God who quickens all things, and before Christ Jesus who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate, a good confession: That you keep the commandment without spot, blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show, who is the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Who only has immortality and inhabits light inaccessible: whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and empire everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:11-16)

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from table of the rich man. And no one did give him: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into the bosom of Abraham.

And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom: And he cried and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame. And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that you did receive good things in your lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither.

And he said: Then, father, I beseech you that you would send him to the house of my father, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments. And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. But he said: No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance. And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead. (Luke 16:19-31)

Reflection:

Amos sought to warn the leaders of Zion and the wealthy who lived in luxury that they allowed their comfort and corruption to blind them to what would come of their infidelity to the ways of the Lord. Though the tribes to the north suffered attacks and sieges, the affluent concerned themselves not about what may come their way. Their sin was not their wealth, but the corruption and selfish purposes to which their opulence was put. They did not care for the afflicted or the less fortunate. They put their commerce before God and oppressed the poor and the needy. They did not turn out to help defend those who were besieged, thus, when the Assyrians marched into their land, the prophesy of Amos came to pass. All their comforts were taken from them and they were forced into exile and slavery.

The times of the past should be observed by those of the present, for the lessons of ancestors give warning. We should take note that as nations turned away from God, He allowed them to suffer the consequences of their choices. He allowed them to stand alone and all their comforts and prosperity were lost. Had they sought His ways over the ways of the world, He would have protected them, but they put their pursuits before God and He allowed evil to fall upon them.

All through the accounting of the relationship between God and the children of His creation, the cycle continues to repeat. We might wonder, when will the lessons be learned? How many generations and nations must fall before the failings are no longer repeated? Unless parents teach their children respect for the ways of the Lord, what has befallen the ancestors shall also come upon the children.

Some will be blessed that their parents will love them enough to teach them. Others will be blessed to cross the path of one who has been taught. Some will be blessed to observe one who is an example and are encouraged by what they witness. So it was that Paul encouraged Timothy whom Paul advised to compete well for the faith so that Timothy may lay hold of eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:12)

The encouragement of Paul to Timothy is a reminder that faith will not be ours without effort. We must recognize that we cannot keep that in which we become complacent to defend, for the one who rules the darkness lurks to steal away all which is beneficial to our soul. The evil one cares not how we become complacent in the ways of the Lord, only that we do, for it is by our complacency that we leave ourselves vulnerable to the one who seeks to lure us away from the embrace of God. Let us then, study His Word and seek to live by its meaning, for it is by how we live our lives by which Jesus will see the evidence of our belief in Him.

Jesus warned that wealth can become an obstacle on the path to His kingdom. (Matthew 19:24) Wealth, in of itself, is not a sin, for God has given good fortune to many of His chosen children, children who sougt to walk the righteous path. (Genesis 15:14-21, 24:35, 1 Chronicles 29:28, 2 Chronicles 17:5-6) We might ask, how is it that the children whom He brought to the promised land did not retain that which He promised would be theirs forever? It was not God who broke His covenant with His chosen children, but those, who within their comfort, wandered away from the ways of the Lord. (Ben Sira [Sirach] 15:11-20, Judges 2:1-2)

The people were warned by Moses that prosperity would be theirs as long as they obeyed the commandments of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:7-20) He warned the people to teach their children. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21), but there were those who did not and those who, in their comfort, forgot the warnings of Moses as to the choice before them ( Deuteronomy 30:19-20) and subsequently drifted away from the ways of God. (Judges 2:10-14)

So it was that a rich man found himself after the grave in torment. It was not his wealth which was his sin, but it was because he did not heed the words of Moses. (Deuteronomy 15:11) At his door was a poor man which he ignored. The rich man did not even offer of the scraps from his table. His choice of indifference to the ways of God, which also calls us to tend to the poor, (Psalms 19:17, Leviticus 19:10, 23:22, Tobit 4:7-11, Matthew 25:31-46) resulted in his place after the grave. He ignored the lessons of his ancestors and the warnings of Moses and the prophets. He discovered the consequences of his choices from beyond the grave where it was too late to turn back and too late to teach others what should have been taught while there was still breath by which to seek the ways of God.

The warnings about selfishness are not only for those of material wealth. God has created within each of us certain gifts and talents. Our alms may be given in different forms. Let us, then, count our blessings and ask of ourselves, what do I have by which to share the blessings of love? If we have fortune, we have means to offer in charity. If we have hands, we have the means to serve. If we have strong legs, we have the means to walk to one who needs help. If we can see, we can help those who are blind. If we can hear, we can help those who are deaf. If we are given the gift of voice, we may share His Word in song, praise, teaching or simply encouragement. Even the smallest of hands may be folded in prayer for another. As we receive, let us give thanks. If all we can do is smile, let us give of this gift freely so others may see and have reason for hope.

In all of our endeavors, let us be mindful of what Jesus taught. Let us heed the words of Moses and the prophets, for such words were given to them by God. Let us learn from the experiences of our ancestors; the blessings we should nourish and share, and the sins we must not repeat. Let us examine our ways and repent from where we have allowed evil to creep into what we do and what we fail to do. If we are parents, let us teach our children the ways of God and encourage them on their journey. No matter our vocation, let us be the example by which others may be encouraged. As Paul advised, let us compete well for the faith (1 Timothy 6:12) and fight the good fight (1 Timothy 1:1 so we may take hold of the eternal life purchased for us from upon the cross.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier