A Reflection on 2 Timothy 4:1–8 and Matthew 5:13–19
In the Spirit of Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
On this day, Holy Mother Church commemorates Sanctus Hilarius Episcopus Pictaviensis, defender of the divinity of Christ and bulwark against the Arian heresy. His steadfast witness provides an apt lens through which to read today’s paired Scriptures: 2 Timothy 4:1–8, where Saint Paul exhorts his disciple to preach the word “in season and out of season”, and Matthew 5:13–19, where Our Lord charges His disciples to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
These two readings, when considered together, offer a solemn meditation on the duty of every Catholic—especially those charged with teaching and defending the faith—to preserve, proclaim, and embody the truth of Christ without compromise.
I. “I Charge Thee Before God” — The Apostolic Mandate (2 Tim 4:1–8)
Saint Paul, nearing the end of his earthly race, speaks as a man who has already poured himself out like a libatio, a drink offering (v.6). He solemnly charges Timothy “before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead”—a weighty reminder that the task of preaching is not a matter of personal inspiration or momentary relevance but a divine commission, issued under the gaze of the eternal Judge.
“Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.” (v.2)
This verse strikes at the very heart of St. Hilary’s episcopal ministry. In a time when the world had embraced a fashionable heresy, and the truth seemed “out of season,” Hilary did not accommodate the times, but rose against the tides. As St. Athanasius was to the East, so was Hilary to the West: Athanasius contra mundum, and Hilary no less.
The Glossa Ordinaria on this passage reminds us: “To be instant is to persevere with urgency; not merely when men are disposed to hear, but also when they are not.” Indeed, Saint Paul foresaw a time when people would “not endure sound doctrine… but will heap to themselves teachers according to their own lusts” (v.3). Is not this the very condition of our present age, wherein novelty is praised and sacred tradition despised?
Saint Hilary, commenting on the fidelity of the true pastor, wrote:
“The darkness of ignorance must be expelled by the light of doctrine, and the bitterness of error must be corrected by the salt of truth.”
(In Matthaeum, Book 4)
II. “Ye Are the Salt of the Earth” — The Witness of Fidelity (Matt 5:13–19)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Our Lord declares that His disciples must be salt and light: preservers of what is true, and illuminators in a dark world. The role of salt is preservative: it prevents decay. So too, the role of the faithful Christian, especially the bishop, is to guard the deposit of faith (depositum fidei) from corruption.
“But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?” (v.13)
St. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on Matthew, comments:
“If others lose their savor, they can be seasoned by you; but if you become corrupt, you can benefit no one. You must therefore be even more firm.”
And St. Jerome, ever sharp in defense of the faith, adds:
“He who is once illumined by the light of Christ, and yet returns to his former darkness, is of less use than if he had never been enlightened.”
Saint Hilary lived these words. He did not content himself with subtle words or peace at the price of truth. In exile, he wrote theological treatises against Arianism with a fierce love for the divinity of Christ. He defended the Nicene faith not out of nostalgia or conservatism, but out of fidelity to veritas aeterna—the eternal truth revealed by the Word made flesh.
III. The Reward of Fidelity
Saint Paul concludes his exhortation with an eye toward the eternal crown:
“There is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just judge, will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming.” (v.8)
So too did St. Hilary labor not for the approval of emperors or the applause of the crowds, but for the incorruptible reward of fidelity. He suffered exile rather than compromise. He chose communion with Christ over communion with error.
IV. Conclusion: A Lamp on the Lampstand
Let us, then, take to heart both the words of the Apostle and the example of the Confessor. Whether we are priests, teachers, parents, or lay faithful, the call is the same: to be salt that has not lost its savour, light that is not hidden under a bushel, and preachers—by word and life—of the full, undiluted faith of Christ.
In the words of St. Hilary himself:
“No matter how many things we suffer, if we suffer them for the sake of Christ, we possess the full measure of the good.”
(De Trinitate, Book 9)
May his prayers aid us in holding firm to sound doctrine and proclaiming it with boldness, in season and out of season.
Sancte Hilari, Confessor et Doctor Ecclesiae, ora pro nobis.