“Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose…” – Colossians 4:7-8
Even though Paul was a great
and well-known apostle, he also realized that in his ministry, the role of a
fellow minister was very meaningful. In the end part of Colossians, we meet the
"actors behind the scenes" who are people whose names we rarely
remember or mention, but contributed greatly to Paul's ministry.
At the end of his letter, the Apostle
Paul mentioned the names of some fellow ministers who helped him (Verses 7-11),
sent greetings from people who knew the Colossians (Verses 12-14), and Paul's
greetings for brothers and sisters in the faith known to the congregation
(Verses 15-18). Paul reminded his fellow servants by addressing them by each name
and mentioned their character. He knows each of his fellow ministers very well.
He also strengthened and prayed for them from prison.
The community and ministry team
will be stronger if we remember each other, strengthen each other and pray for
each other. How beautiful the fellowship of Christians is where there is mutual
encouragement, strengthening, helping, and growing together through joy and
sorrow. We must not underestimate the support of our friends. The people who
have comforted us play a big part in our ministry because without them, we
might have run out of energy to serve in this world.
In a community, Christians
should see one another as a meaningful person and not only as a part of a socio-economic
function. Let us learn to remember, pray for and strengthen our fellow
ministers in our Christian life.
“I, Paul, write this greeting
in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you” (Col 4:18).
Reflection on Colossians 4:7-18
by Fr. Fransiskus Diaz, SVD
No comments:
Post a Comment