In the spirit of St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, with commemoration of St. Hermes the Martyr
Today’s lections set before us a double image: the Apostle Paul, at the end of his earthly course, handing on the torch of faith to Timothy (2 Tim 4:1–8), and the Lord Christ Himself, teaching His disciples of their vocation to be salt and light in the world, faithful to the Law and Prophets (Matt 5:13–19). Together, they form a perfect harmony: perseverance in the apostolic tradition and fidelity to the divine command.
The Apostle’s Testament
St. Paul speaks with a gravity born of imminent martyrdom: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice” (2 Tim 4:7–8). St. John Chrysostom, marveling at these words, says: “See how he everywhere makes virtue the cause of reward, not grace only, nor yet our labors only, but both together: God’s grace working, our diligence cooperating” (Hom. in 2 Tim.). The Apostle thus teaches Timothy — and through him, the whole Church — that fidelity is no idle waiting but an active stewardship of the sacred deposit.
St. Augustine himself comments in his Exposition on the Psalms that the Christian life is not a mere starting, but a persevering: “In the race, it is not the one who begins, but the one who perseveres, that receives the crown.” Paul’s witness, then, is not self-exaltation but a humble testimony that the grace of Christ, endured in patience, leads to the crown of justice.
Salt and Light of the World
The Gospel (Matt 5:13–19) unfolds this same theme under the words of the Savior: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” St. Hilary of Poitiers explains: “The Apostles are the salt, because they preserve mankind from corruption; and they are the light, because they were enlightened by Christ, the true Light, to illuminate the world” (In Matt. V).
But the Lord warns: salt can lose its savor, light can be hidden. Here we see the peril of negligence: the truth preserved by the Apostles must be lived and proclaimed by every disciple. St. Augustine remarks: “If you love yourselves, love not yourselves. Shine, that you may enlighten others. If you live well, your candle is not hidden” (Serm. 289). The Gospel thus exhorts us not only to personal fidelity, but also to evangelical witness — the transmission of what has been entrusted, without diminution or compromise.
Fulfillment of the Law
The discourse concludes with Christ’s affirmation: “Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Origen observes: “He who fulfills is greater than he who gives the law, for to fulfill is to bring to perfection” (Comm. in Matt.). Our Lord, then, is the true legislator who does not abolish the divine command but brings it to its perfection in charity.
The Witness of St. Hermes
On this day we commemorate St. Hermes the Martyr, whose steadfast confession under persecution shows us the living fruit of both readings: perseverance unto death and the shining forth of the Gospel as light before men. As Paul’s crown was won in martyrdom, so Hermes bore witness to the truth, salted with incorruption and illuminated by Christ’s light.
Conclusion
In the Epistle, we hear the Apostle bidding farewell with triumph in Christ; in the Gospel, the Master commissions His disciples to carry the torch of holiness into the world. In both, we are reminded of the call to persevere in the apostolic faith, to flavor the world with incorrupt truth, and to shine forth with the radiance of Christ, until we too may receive the corona justitiæ laid up for all who love His appearing.