The fire of God's gift

Good News Reflection
Wednesday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time
June 2, 2010
Today's Readings:
2 Tim 1:1-3, 6-12
Ps 123:1b-2
Mark 12:18-27
http://www.usccb.org/nab/060210.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_06_02.mp3
The fire of God's gift
In today's first reading, St. Paul tells Timothy: "I remind you, stir into flame the gift of God that you were given through the imposition of my hands."
When the bishop imposed his hands on you during your Sacrament of Confirmation, what gift of God did you receive? The answer is not simply "the Holy Spirit", because you already received this in your baptism.
Confirmation commissioned you to work with the Holy Spirit in your own apostolate, continuing the mission of Christ so that you be the presence of Christ on earth today.
Have you stirred this awesome calling into a burning desire?
Confirmation is the bishop confirming that your baptism was valid and that it gave you all of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It's the sacrament by which God becomes fully present for your apostolate and through which you choose to become fully present to God (well, that's what we're supposed to do with it; sadly, its theology is rarely grasped on the day of Confirmation).
It's a confirmation that we have the power, love and self-control of God himself so that we can live holy lives and work successfully for his kingdom. It's the sacrament of initiation that enflames the gifts that we received during baptism.
Thus, we can bear the hardships that come with living and teaching the Gospel's truths. We can endure all trials with the supernatural strength that comes from God. There's no reason to fear disaster, no reason to feel overwhelmed by evil, no reason to worry that our efforts to serve God might fail. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina used to tell people: "Pray, hope and DON'T WORRY!"
God gave us everything necessary to fulfill the purposes for which he created us. If there is any failure, if there is any sin, if there is any lack of activity, it's because we've not sufficiently stirred up the flame of the Holy Spirit's fire within us.
We stir the flame by continually feeding our souls with the nourishment of scripture, Christ-centered friends, Church teachings, and other opportunities of faith formation. The flame is stoked brighter and hotter by the frustrations that impassion us to get up and go out and make a difference in the Church and in the world.
God has a special task for you. Perhaps you're already doing it. Or maybe you can envision it but you don't know how to get from here to there. Or perhaps you're still trying to find the vision. Or maybe you feel unprepared or inadequate. Concentrate on stoking the fire in every way possible. As your flame gets brighter, the calling and the way to fulfill it will become clearer.
And remember: God always empowers us to do everything that he asks of us.
Need more help with this? Use my e-book, "Knowing God's Will and Doing it Well", available at Catholic Digital Resources: http://catholicdr.com/ebooks/GodsWill.htm
© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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