2 Timothy 4:1-8
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 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 passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 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.
The world is full of people that are set on one side or the other. The world has become such a divisive place. All these people clambering for a voice that sounds like their own. St Paul talks about people having itching ears, and these are people he is talking about. He is therefore warning St Timothy to watch out for these people, and not to accommodate them.
But there are some people who are itching to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. There are others who are itching to know how they are supposed to live their life. These are not answered by pandering or relaxing the rule of faith. These people need the help of the Church to actually proclaim the Law in its fullness, to convict people's hearts and minds. As on the Day of Pentecost when St Peter preached, and the people were cut to the heart by the harsh reality that they crucified the Son of God.
But in our preaching of the Law, we can not forget the comfort of the Gospel. The Gospel that even as we have put Christ to death, his death was necessary for our forgiveness. Christ provided the eternal sacrifice for our sins and death could not hold this man. Jesus called himself, "the resurrection and the life." So he is the one who brings us life, and fights the good fight with us. In fact, he has won the victory already for us.
So in this divisive world, we need to make sure we stand with the harshness of God's Law and the compassion of Christ's sacrifice for all people.
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