Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Today’s first reading from the letter of Paul to Timothy should shake any of us from our slumber. “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God... (2 Tim 1:6). In other words Paul is urging Timothy and his community to be on fire. To be lukewarm about God is to do a disfavour to the gift of the Holy Spirit that God has given to us. Paul’s rather impassioned plea must in understood in the context of his own physical state. Paul at this moment is a prisoner in Rome and Timothy himself may be in Ephesus. This letter seems to give the impression that Christians for most part have not rallied to Paul’s support. Rather, in this lack of support he senses a certain lack of zeal for things spiritual. Paul himself knew that his deliverance cannot come only from God and not human beings, but he was more concerned that Timothy should prepare other people to carry on the mission of Christ in the same way that he has prepared Timothy for the work of the gospel. Paul’s fear is made obvious in verses 7-8 where he says, “For this reason, 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.” Paul’s apprehension is that fear, struggle, lack of zeal can hurt the cause of the gospel. This gospel as Jesus says in the gospel reading today is not the gospel of the God of the dead but of the living (Mt 18:27).

Paul’s message is equally relevant in our time and age. In fact, it is not uncommon to see a certain lackadaisical living of the gospel. Either people want to keep their faith to themselves, or separate faith from other aspects of their lives, or feel embarrassed to talk faith and how it influences them, or are plain unaware of the call to be witnesses to the gospel.

To each of us Paul is repeating what he said to Timothy two thousand years ago. For the sake of the gospel of the "God of the Living" he says, “stir into flame the gift of God” (2 Tim 1:6). Let us ask to Holy Spirit to set us on fire for the gospel. With the help of the Holy Spirit (as opposed to the spirit of cowardice - 2 Tim 1:7), let us be aflame with the power of love (2 Tim 1:7). Let today not pass us by without us bearing witness to gospel.

- Fr. Satish Joseph