Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate an encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

Peace be with you. Friends, I want to focus today on our gorgeous and deeply

moving second reading which is taken from Paul's second letter to Timothy to

his young disciple, his young charge. Second Timothy is the letter of an old man.

Come to the end of his life's work and he's passing advice and authority onto

his younger colleague. Now, you know, the Bible, every part of the Bible for

everybody, but I wonder whether I might invite especially the elders listening to

me to attend carefully to this letter. People coming to the end of their earthly

journey. I think especially for you, this will be a powerful message. Paul is as

it were summing up his life and work preparing to let go of this life and

enter into the higher life of heaven. And so he says beautifully, I'm already

being poured out like a libation. Now, it's very striking reference, but I think

we'll largely miss it because it's so alien to our culture. What's he talking

about? A libation. Well, at the end of a Roman meal, remember, Paul's a Roman

citizen. The custom was to pour a cup of wine into the ground or onto the floor as

an offering to the gods. It's like allowing the gods to drink as well, right,

...