"Today we celebrate two of St. Paul's closest companions, Timothy and Titus. They were the early bishops, the ones who had to keep ...
"Today we celebrate two of St. Paul's closest companions, Timothy and Titus. They were the early bishops, the ones who had to keep the Church going after the Apostles. Paul writes a beautiful letter to Timothy with advice that applies to all of us.
Let’s focus on Spirit, Stirring, and Shame.
Paul tells Timothy: 'God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.' This is the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus gives a stern warning about blaspheming this Spirit. The scribes were looking at the good work of Jesus—casting out demons—and calling it evil. That is a hardened heart that rejects the very Spirit that saves.
Paul then tells Timothy to engage in Stirring. 'Stir into flame the gift of God.' Faith is like a fire. If you don't tend to it, if you don't poke the embers and add wood, it goes out. We cannot run on the fumes of the faith we had ten years ago. We must keep Stirring it up through prayer, sacraments, and service.
Why? So that we overcome Shame. Paul says, 'Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord.' In a secular world, it is easy to be a 'secret Christian.' But Timothy and Titus remind us that we are entrusted with a precious treasure.
Today, let us ask the intercession of Sts. Timothy and Titus. May we never grieve the Holy Spirit, may we keep Stirring the flame of our faith, and may we never face the world with Shame, but with the power of God."
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