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Paul was an evangelizer par excellence and had prepared Timothy to continue his work of proclaiming God’s word. God is calling each and every one of us to be evangelists so that we may be able to witness and give others an opportunity to accept Jesus as their Lord and be saved. The work of evangelization is of prime importance, and we need to be persistent and not wait for the ideal moment. We need to move out of our comfort zones. We also need to make use of all the pastoral tools at our disposal. We are to “convince, reprimand, and encourage through all patience and teaching.” -2 Tim 4:2c. We exhort, correct, and enlighten. We teach, guide, and pastor. We are patient, persistent, and enduring.
In the modern world, people are lost and confused as to what is right and wrong. The evil one is leading people astray. We read in 2 Timothy 4:3 onwards how people are led astray to believe what is wrong, the lies, the ways of the world, and false doctrines. Paul prepared Timothy. The Holy Spirit prepares us. We just need to cooperate with God’s Spirit at work in us. How do we follow the Spirit to lead us down the right path? We need to accept that we are God’s children who are called to evangelize, and we need to make a decision to always accept the will of God.
As evangelists, we engage in spiritual warfare every day. Our lives will not be easy. We need to endure and persevere. We are called to be missionaries wherever we are, be it in our homes, at work, or in a faraway place. At the end, when Jesus returns in His glory, we should be able to say, as Paul said, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have longed for his appearance.” 2 Tim 4:7-8.
Christian families are missionary families, in their everyday life, in their doing everyday things, as they bring to everything the salt and the leaven of faith!
Pope Francis 