Finished and Faithful: The Joy of a Completed Race

Voice over by Bro. Paschal

Acts 20:17-27, Psalm: 67, Jn 17:1-11a

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As the Easter season draws to a close and we approach Pentecost, the Church gives us two farewell discourses. One is spoken by Jesus on the night before He dies; the other by Paul to the elders of Ephesus, knowing that imprisonment and suffering await him. Both are facing the end of their earthly mission. Both speak not with regret, but with peace. They have finished the work. They have kept the faith.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul summons the elders of Ephesus for a final, emotional farewell. He reminds them of his ministry: serving the Lord with humility, enduring trials, and never shrinking from proclaiming what was helpful. Then he declares, “But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. I do not know what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in city after city that imprisonment and hardships await me.” Yet he adds, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Paul does not cling to safety; he clings to mission. His peace comes not from knowing the future, but from knowing the One who sends him.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and prays. This is His “high priestly prayer,” offered on the threshold of His passion. He prays, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you.” He speaks of having completed the work the Father gave Him: revealing the Father’s name, keeping those entrusted to Him. He prays for His disciples, not for escape from the world, but for protection in the world. “Holy Father, keep them in your name.” His peace is not the absence of suffering; it is the presence of the Father’s will accomplished.

Both Paul and Jesus show us what it means to finish well. They are not passive; they are intentional. They do not drift; they obey. They do not hoard life; they spend it for the sake of the Gospel.

Pope Francis, reflecting on Paul’s words, said, “The joy of the Gospel is not a joy that avoids suffering; it is a joy that finds meaning in suffering because it is offered for love.” St. Augustine, contemplating Jesus’ prayer, wrote, “He prays for us as our priest, prays in us as our head, and is prayed to by us as our God.”

What does this mean for us? We are all given a race to run, a task to complete. It may not be as dramatic as Paul’s or as cosmic as Jesus’. It may be the quiet, faithful witness of a parent, a worker, a caregiver. But the same Spirit who compelled Paul, and the same Father who heard Jesus’ prayer, is with us. We do not need to know the future. We only need to be faithful in the present.

This Easter season, let us examine our own race. Are we shrinking from the hard tasks? Are we clinging to comfort rather than mission? Let us ask for the grace to finish well. And let us trust that the same glory Jesus asked for—the glory of the Father’s love—is also ours, not as a reward for our efforts, but as the gift of belonging to Him. Amen.

May God bless you all!