Introdução (II Tm 4.1-8)

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus
Who will judge the living and the dead
I solemnly urge you
Preach the Word

It is with this imperative
That Paul begins his final words
To his son in the faith, Timothy
This is his second letter to the young preacher
And holds an unprecedented historical value
After all, besides being a solemn call to ministry
And therefore containing sacred lessons for any called Christian
It is also the last Pauline letter we have record of
By all indications, this was his final document
We are truly facing the last words of the apostle Paul
Not only to Timothy, but to the world
How does a man of God come to the end of his days?
What are the circumstances surrounding him in his final moments?
What leads him to write this letter to his dear friend, to his beloved son?

Paul's request could not be more solemn
Preach the word
This is the summary
Of absolutely everything Paul has been saying to Timothy
Since the beginning of this letter
It is not just any letter
It is a final and urgent call
For Timothy to rise from his limitations
And fears and take his tutor's place

Since Paul
Is indeed reaching the end of his ministerial journey
It is time for young Timothy to rise
With even greater commitment and courage
Paul recalls Timothy's sincere tears
And the unfeigned faith he received willingly
And embraced in his heart through the words of his mother and grandmother Lois
God has not given us a spirit of timidity
But of power and love and self-discipline
This is what Paul reminded Timothy
In the first chapter of this letter
While referring to the holy calling Christ made to us
Avoid useless and profane conversations
Paul emphasized in the second chapter
Flee from the evil desires of youth
In chapter 3, Paul refuses to hide from his disciple
The dark side of ministry and fearlessly says
All who desire to live godly in Christ
Will be persecuted
But you, remain in what you have learned from the Scriptures
Preach the Scriptures

This is such a solemn command
That the witnesses called before whom
Paul orders Timothy to preach are God and Christ Jesus
Some had already questioned young Timothy's ministry
But it was not the time to be saddened by it
Preach the Word!
Others had already ridiculed him
For following a poor wretch like Paul
Always persecuted
But it was not the time to be ashamed
Preach the word!
Some even suggested
That Timothy's own personality
Could also be a possibly timid and insecure barrier
But it was not the time to be shy
It was time to expose oneself
And preach the word in season or out of season

And it is as if God whispered in Paul's ear
About the days to come
The days of today and there Paul will say
Timothy, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine
The truth will cause itching ears
People will seek harmless preachings
They will configure preachers who stroke their ego
What an unhappy exchange, the harsh truth for the gentle lie
Fables and myths may stir emotions
But they are unable to save us eternally
And that is why Paul insists
Timothy, they may, you may not
Be sober, preach the true gospel
And come suffer with me
Like a soldier in the trenches of a war

The mass abandonment of the gospel
And the collective failure of a good part of the early converts
Were not the only reasons why
Timothy should stand up for Christ
Assuming his vocation
Another reason, offered by Paul
Was his imminent death
Or as he liked to depict his libation offering
The rituals and sacrifices practiced in the Old Testament
Included this libation offering
Which would be the moment when the altar
On which the animals were sacrificed
Would be washed by some liquid
Usually wine or oil
The fragrant aroma of these liquids
Signaled that the ceremony was coming to an end
This was the figure used by Paul to describe his death

He does not paint this canvas with dense, dark colors
But with the vivid red of wine being sprinkled
It does not smell of fear or mourning
His death smells of life and celebration
The rhymes are not sour and melancholic, no
His death rhymes with the sweetness of wine
And this is precisely Paul's invitation to Timothy
Come suffer with me