Commemoration: Martin Luther
Almighty God, the sender in every age of faithful men and women to recall the Church to its task, and to renew its life: raise up, in this our day, prophetic heralds and evangelists, whose voices, like that of your servant Martin, will give strength to your Church, that your will may be done and your name glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Paul's aim was to be like Christ in every way, shape, and form. His deepest desire was "to know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3.10-11). The end of his faith is complete union with Christ, but that union remains, for Paul, a work in progress, as he makes clear in today's Epistle reading.
Throughout his ministry, however, Paul faced opposition and scorn from a pugnacious and disagreeable bunch. These so-called "super apostles" claimed a superior knowledge of the mysteries of God and derided Paul as a novice. Two of the worst offenders were Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Timothy 2.14-26) who were propagating the outlandish claim "that the resurrection has already happened." Paul disowned these men and their claims, noting that "They are upsetting the faith of some."
The claim by Hymenaeus and Philetus "that the resurrection has already happened" was "upsetting" to some because it was self-serving and self-glorifying. It set these "super apostles" above those, like Paul, who humbly and freely admitted that "the resurrection from the dead" was a goal which they had "not yet attained."
The resurrection is the outcome of a life lived in obedience to Christ. Paul was correct in his attitude of humility, knowing that the closer he got to the goal, the less he should think of himself. Union with Christ was, for Paul, a lifelong journey which required dying to self in order to be fully realized. This side of eternity, he knew that he could never confidently claim to have reached this ultimate outcome without calling attention to himself instead of Christ.
The Lenten season is the perfect time to be reminded that we are all still works in progress. The joy of the resurrection lies ahead of us and, with Paul, it is the goal toward which we press as we live out our faith, holding true to that which we have already attained. The struggles and trials we face along the way serve to remind us that we still have a long way to go. But the prize is worth the wait. For in the end, our Savior will appear and will "transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
The glory of these forty days
We celebrate with songs of praise;
For Christ, by Whom all things were made,
Himself has fasted and has prayed.
Alone and fasting Moses saw
The loving God Who gave the law;
And to Elijah, fasting, came
The steeds and chariots of flame.
So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
Delivered from the lions’ might;
And John, the Bridegroom’s friend, became
The herald of Messiah’s Name.
Then grant us, Lord, like them to be
Full oft in fast and prayer with Thee;
Our spirits strengthen with Thy grace,
And give us joy to see Thy face.
O Father, Son, and Spirit blest,
To thee be every prayer addressed,
Who art in threefold Name adored,
From age to age, the only Lord.
- attributed to Gregory I
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