Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 3, 2010 - Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10]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.......
For the next few days I will be preaching a retreat for diocesan priests of the Fresno, CA, diocese. I will be speaking to them about the spirit of "power and love and self-control." (An older translation uses: "one that makes us strong, loving and wise!") These do have a particular application in the vocation of the priest, but they also apply to any disciple. They really go to the core of discipleship because they describe the inner character of the disciple which should be manifest in the life of each disciple. Some simple questions can help us understand this. How do I understand and live with "power?" Do I understand it in the political sense of controlling or being able to command someone else to do something? Can I see it as something to be shared in that it is to be used to "empower" or "enable" others to be good disciples who proclaim the gospel by their lives? One of the common problems I encountered in pastoral life is that when someone is given a "title," there is a temptation that comes with that title to become a "boss" instead of a servant. How do I understand a "spirit of love?" Do I interpret this as an admonition to be simply "nice" and "courteous?" Did Christ die for us because it was the nice thing to do? Did he respond the way he did to sinners and tax collectors because he was courteous and didn't want "to hurt their feelings?" How do I understand a spirit of "self-control?" In a consumer society where "to be" means "to buy" and satisfy a "want" disguised as a "need," what kind of impulse control do I have in that regard? Can I identify my "treasure" so that I can find where my heart is? Discipleship makes demands on us. The Letter to Timothy is a reminder of the "strength that comes from God." Do we really believe in that strength? If so, what are we doing about it? AMEN
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