Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
[2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5 and MArk 3:31-35]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.....but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. [2 Timothy]
Saints Timothy and Titus were close collaborators of St.Paul. Like all of us in ministry, or, for that matter, all of us striving to be faithful to our baptismal calling, they needed encouragement. That is the basis for the letters to Timothy and Titus (and by extension, to us!). The steady resistance of a secular consumer culture is not unsimilar to what Titus and Timothy faced. Although they were dealing with preaching the gospel in a culture where it was just beginning to take hold, we, on the other hand, are trying to preach it in a culture where it is in danger of being smothered after centuries of being alive! As a pastor, I found myself really frustrated by demands from parishioners that were based primarily on convenience and consumption rather than on the meaning of the faith. At times it seemed that nothing I did was ever good enough. The Spirit of power, love and self-control had to work overtime in those situations! The effort for all of us is a continual one. The Lord promised both cross and resurrection. We can't have one without the other, but we are promised the assistance of the Spirit - the strength that comes from God. AMEN
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