Pass It On

A Reflection on the Second Reading for October 27th, 2019:
​Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 16-18

6 For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; 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. 16 At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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I have fought the good fight, 
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith. 


There is a sense of farewell in Saint Paul’s letter to Timothy, and because of that, I can imagine the above words on Paul's gravestone. As Paul instructs a young Timothy, he prepares himself for all God has promised. He is offering Timothy sage advice as his elder, passing on the wisdom he has gained, and ultimately passing on the faith. 


I ran track in school. I was not a distance runner. Short sprints were more my speed. My legs are too short to last for longer distances — at least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! I often ran as part of the 400 metre relay team; four individuals running 100 metre sprints passing a baton between each sprint. Our training focused on passing the baton precisely from team member to team member. This crucial part of the race was more about timing than about speed. Speed was important, but dropping the baton could cost us time or possibly even get us disqualified. I remember practicing the pass in slow motion hundreds of times. It needed to become an action we didn’t even have to think about — where we would put our hand backward at just the right time knowing our teammate would know exactly when to pass the baton securely to avoid a drop. I can still see it in my head: anticipating my start, beginning the sprint, throwing my hand back, feeling the baton hit my hand, gripping tight, then hitting my stride to run my part of the race. 


Paul has run his part of the race and is passing the “baton” to Timothy. I too was passed the baton of faith. I said my “yes” and gripped it tightly. But to continue the race, I must pass it on. Sometimes I’m not sure I’m ready to pass it on, or I’m afraid I will drop it. Yet, unlike the relay race, the race God has for me isn’t a sprint. It’s a distance run, and thankfully, since I’m not a distance runner, God makes sure there are others with me to keep the race going. But I have to pass on the baton! The life of our Church is not just about me and what I do. Those that came before me AND those who will come after me have their parts to play. Our witness of the faith connects us to one another. I was blessed to have people past and present — ordained, lay, and religious — who believe in me, call me forth, nurture my faith, and hold me accountable to the faith in Christ that I profess. I am called to do the same for others. So when the end of my race comes, maybe my headstone might say: 

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I have fought the good fight.
I have run my part of the race. 
I have kept the faith… and passed it on.


What will yours say? ​


Aurea Sadi

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