In his letter St. Paul urges Timothy and us to remain faithful to what we have learned and believed.  It can be very difficult to remain faithful when our whole culture is going in a different direction.  We need to step back from the cultural clutter and re-commit ourselves to faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ.  We cannot let the calls for separation of church and state contradict the fact that this nation was founded on Christian principles and we will not apologize for bringing those principles into the public forum today. 

            St. Paul reminds Timothy and us to be "persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient..."  He reminds us that we are to convince, reprimand, and encourage through patience and teaching.  It is our task to change the culture, and not to let the culture change us!

            In today's gospel Jesus describes how even a corrupt judge, who feared neither God nor man, was forced to render a just verdict because of the persistence of one widow.  Jesus asks, "Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?"

            So we must keep the faith, and not be afraid to proclaim it to our culture.  We proclaim the faith when we worship together and when we teach it to our young people.  Let us also share it with our relatives, friends, and neighbors.  Lastly, let us profess our faith when we vote!