SAINT BONIFACE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (MEMORIAL)

Stir into flame the gift of God that you have.

Have you ever built a campfire on a chilly evening? Its flames almost naturally draw people together so they can enjoy the light and warmth. Sometimes, though, the flames die down, the embers begin to smolder, and a chill sets in. That’s when it’s time to take St. Paul’s words to heart: to shake the dust from the coals and “stir [the fire] into flame” (2 Timothy 1:6).

Today we hear Paul apply these words to the spiritual fire in the heart of his “dear child,” Timothy (2 Timothy 1:2). Years earlier, Paul had laid hands upon Timothy and set him apart as a leader of the church in Ephesus. Now Paul writes to him from a prison cell and reminds Timothy of the fire of the Spirit dwelling within him. And he urges him not only to remember it but to set it ablaze once again.

Paul may have been concerned that the burdens of leadership and the challenges of discipleship had caused Timothy to grow weary. So he exhorts Timothy to rouse the gift he already has. Why? So that the fire of God could blaze brightly through him and enable him to bring the light of Christ to the people of Ephesus.

Like Timothy, you also have the “gift of God” dwelling within you (2 Timothy 1:6). At your Baptism, a priest or deacon laid hands on you, poured water over you, and handed your parents a lighted candle. “Receive the light of Christ,” he said. “This light is entrusted to you to keep burning brightly.” What an amazing gift! The fire of the Spirit came to live in your heart. And what an awesome responsibility! As St. John Chrysostom has said, it lies within our power to kindle or extinguish this fire.

The Spirit is always with you. But like that smoldering campfire, sometimes it needs stirring. You can rekindle your flame by shaking off the ash—by repenting and turning away from sin. You can stoke the embers by reading the word of God and letting it move you to walk in God’s ways. Like bellows, you can bring oxygen to the fire by opening your heart to God’s grace as you pray. The Spirit will bless your efforts so that your flame burns brightly before everyone around you.

“Help me, Lord, to stir up the gift of your Spirit!”

2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
Psalm 123:1-2
Mark 12:18-27