27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C October 2, 2022

27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time   Cycle C       October 2, 2022

 In today’s second reading we hear from St Paul’s second letter to Timothy.  Timothy was a Bishop in Ephesus, appointed by Paul and apparently very close to Paul.   In his two letters to Timothy, St Paul is continually exhorting, prodding, encouraging, warning, urging, pushing Timothy to be forceful and faithful in preaching the Gospel.  So today we hear: “stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. What does it mean to “stir into flame?”  Well, if you have ever built a campfire, or lit a fire in a fireplace, you arrange the wood, start the fire and it burns well for a while.  But after about half an hour the fire dies down.  So you grab a metal poker, or a stick, and poke the fire, knock off some of the ash, move the logs around, so it flares up and has flames again.  That is what St Paul means by “stir into flame”.    Paul continues:  “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. “

          The fact that St Paul found it necessary to continually prod Timothy has led some Scripture scholars to speculate that Timothy was not an ideal disciple and assistant.  No one is sure exactly what Timothy’s problem was.   Perhaps Timothy was committed to the Gospel, but lacked ambition.  Maybe he was just a teeney bit lazy.  Maybe he was not a self-starter the way Paul was.  Maybe he was more of a go with the flow kind of guy and not attracted to working hard all the time.  Could be.  If so, then I could identify with Timothy, and perhaps a few of you could too.

          Or perhaps Timothy was committed to the Gospel, but rather timid: he did not like upsetting people, did not like rocking the boat and causing upset and consternation, he wanted people to like him, and he did not want to incur people’s hatred and persecution.  So, this is why Paul keeps exhorting Timothy to boldness and to action and insists on the cost of proclaiming the Gospel and the need to suffer with Christ.   If this is true about Timothy, then again I could identify with him, and perhaps a few of you could too.

          Or perhaps Timothy was committed to the Gospel, but had a hard time setting and keeping his priorities straight, forever distracted by the gnat-like cloud of many things to do, distractions and demands on his time and energy, forever being taken away by things of lesser account and not focusing his energy and time on what was really important.  So St Paul keeps calling Timothy back to the main task at hand, that is, preaching the Gospel, and not getting bogged down by meetings and fund-raisers and charity breakfasts and thousands of other demands on his time and energy.  If so, then I could identify with Timothy, and perhaps a few of you could too.

          In today’s reading St. Paul urges:  “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. “

          Like St. Timothy, brothers and sisters, most of us need that reminder, we need to stir into flame the gift of God that we received at our Baptism and Confirmation.  We did not receive a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control.

Power: not in the sense the world understands power, as being able to be in control and to push my will onto others, but rather the kind of power Jesus showed us, the power to serve and to give ourselves away in love.

          Love:  not in the sense the world understands love, as a feeling, an emotional state you fall into, as something that takes control of us; but rather the kind of love Jesus showed us; the love that is a decision, a commitment, an act of will that does something and produces fruit in service, in care, in compassion, in forgiveness, in truth-telling, in love.

          Self-control: not in the sense the world understand self-control as repressing yourself and denial, but rather the kind of self-control Jesus showed us, the self-control that is the discipline to be true to your most authentic and deepest self, to the you God created you to be, to be thoroughly and completely integrated and authentic.

          “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. “

          Of course, St Paul’s exhortation is today addressed to us.  We all know that we live in extraordinary, and often difficult, times.  There are major divisions in our world, our own country, in the church, often in our own communities and homes, and even in our own hearts.  Rather than poking the hornets’ nest, the temptation is lay low, not make a scene, and go with the flow. 

          But the truth of the Gospel is too important just let it slide by.  St Paul is urging all of us to “stir into flame the gift of God that you have received..”  Paul is urging us to BOLDNESS in living the Gospel fully, authentically, publicly, so as to give witness.  Do people know, by your actions, that you are a Christian?  Is there anything about your lifestyle that marks you as a follower of Christ?  If being a Christian were a crime, could any court find enough evidence of your Christian life to convict you?   Or would you get off because all you do is pay lip service to Christianity and not really live it? 

          Stir into flame the gift of God you have received!   A gift that empowers you to hold your tongue when you want to put another person down.  That empowers you to cheerful generosity to those in need.  That empowers you to speak the truth when it is unpopular and unwanted.  That empowers you to seek the good of others even at the expense of your own.  That shows forth the Spirit of Christ in your actions, words, and behavior. 

Be on fire with the Holy Spirit!     Amen.