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The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

At the Easter Vigil, just before adult converts receive their baptism, they profess the Creed, a word taken from the Latin Credo: “I believe.” This confession is ancient… so ancient that St. Paul mentions it in his First Epistle to Timothy, which is read aloud to us in today’s second reading: “Compete well for the faith! Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim 6:12). Every Sunday, we renew our own confession as we pray the Nicene Creed right after listening to the homily.

The command of St. Paul to St. Timothy then is the same command for us today: “keep the commandment without stain or reproach” (6:14). As we leave the church when Mass concludes, we are to hold fast to our confession of faith, to bear witness to the “King of Kings and Lord of lords” (6:15) to whom we professed our allegiance within the Sacred Liturgy.

In the responsorial psalm, we hear: “Blessed he who keeps faith forever” (Ps 146:6). Notice that it doesn’t say: “Blessed is he who keeps faith only on Sundays.” We’re given the title, “the lay faithful” for good reason.

So, what does this look like, practically speaking? Paul doesn’t speak solely in lofty terms, but instead, gets right down to it: “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11). Our faith takes on flesh in daily prayer, acts of faith, righteous living, and being patient, gentle, & loving with others.

Unfortunately, our churches are often filled with more women than men. The increasing phenomenon of an absence of men in religious activities is due to several reasons including the feminization of the hymns we sing and pray. An antidote to this problem is found in St. Paul’s command: “Compete well for the faith” (1 Tim 6:12). He gives us a role model when persevering in the faith: “Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession” (6:13).

Competition, bold testimony, facing death, courage – these are the images St. Paul uses when en-couraging others to boldly follow Jesus. Catholicism is a sport with eternal rewards, a life that entails perseverance in courageous witness, a form of holy competition. These qualities of our religion are attractive to a masculine outlook on life. As they are proclaimed, men discover in Christ their true masculine identity.

The Second Vatican Council proclaimed: “Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself & makes his supreme calling clear” (Gadium et Spes, n. 22). Christ reveals to each of us – whether male or female – our supreme calling as human creatures.