Word to the Wise
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - St. Peter of Verona, O.P. [first Dominican martyr]
[2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 and Mark 12:18-27]I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.
Everyone needs a pep talk once in awhile. St. Paul is giving one to his valued associate, St. Timothy, in today's first scripture. With pep talks, it is not always the words that we remember but the support, encouragement and love of the friend who gives it. However, we would do well to pay attention to the content of Paul's words today. An older translation refers to the spirit received from God as one that makes us "strong, loving and wise." Since we do not always feel that way, it can be important to remember that God's spirit continues to supply those qualities. This can be important when it comes to a matter of witnessing to the faith. Our culture has made faith such a private and personal thing that we are embarrassed often when we are "caught" being a Catholic! Paul admonishes us not be "be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord...." He encourages us to bear our "share of the hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God." It is not easy in a consumerist, sex-saturated, violence prone culture to stand firm in our faith and values. It can be discouraging when all the world around us seems to think we are weird for continuing to believe and act the way we do. God will give us the strength and the spirit! We have to do our part. AMEN