Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 - Jan. 26 - Sts. Timothy and Titus, bishops
[2 Tim 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5 and Luke 10:1-9,591 or Mark 4:1-20]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. [2 Timothy]
Once in a while I will hear someone accuse themselves in the Sacrament of Reconciliation of failing to speak out as a matter of faith when the opportunity arose. I can understand the reluctance because faith has become such an individual and private thing in our culture that giving witness in a social situation is regarded as bad taste!! I admire those students I know who staff the "Ask a Catholic" table at the student center on campus. They are subject to abuse from the occasional fundamentalist preachers who go from campus to campus. I was personally targeted by one of those preachers when I visited our table. The students at the table are also challenged by non-believers and by curious sincere persons. In my eyes, these students exemplify what St. Paul is saying to Timothy. The Spirit of power and love and self-control and a willingness to bear hardship for the sake of the gospel are alive in them.
Earlier in this same scripture for today, Timothy is urged to remember "the sincere faith" of his mother and grandmother. I urge retreatants to do a "history" of faith in their lives and ask where and how they first learned of God. Discovering the roots of our faith can lead us to the kind of witness I referred to above. We are called by our baptism to proclaim the gospel, strengthened by the Spirit of power, love and self-control. AMEN