Stirring our Faith into a Flame

In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 1: 1-8,  Paul, imprisoned for the faith,  writes a second letter to his friend Timothy, whom he remembers "constantly in [his] prayers night and day."  Paul is excited about the faith that Timothy's grandmother and mother passed on to Timothy and encourages him to "stir into flame the gift of God" that has been  given  to him. He encourages Timothy to "not be ashamed of [his] testimony to [the] Lord, nor of [Paul], a prisoner for [the Lord's] sake; but bear [his] share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God."

Like any other gift, if it is not used, faith can wither and die! Paul stood by Timothy, challenging him to stand firm and not give in to erroneous teachings about Jesus. Paul kept at him to confront the issues threatening the faith of the young Christian community in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1: 18-20)--See reflections on this Scripture passage in Word Among Us, January 26,  2019--to be assertive, and to live rightly.

Timothy's faith was tried, to say the least, as he died a martyr's death for his commitment to Christ. Your faith and mine will also be tried, though not necessarily to the point of being martyred, but certainly in the case of being challenged to be assertive, claim our faith, and give testimony among persons who are unbelievers or who mock our faith.

How strong am I? How strong are you? Are we willing to stand up for Christ or do we back away from such situations? Do we take time to "stir into flame the gift of God," that is, the faith passed on to us from our parents/grandparents or other adults who, in our childhood, were true to God's call to to are their faith with us?  How faithful am I, are you, to reading and reflecting on the Sunday's Scriptures, to setting time aside to pray/to talk to God about our worries, concerns, joys or grief over something that touched us during any given day?  Do I actively seek God in the events and encounters of each day? Do I bring God to my relationships and to the situations of the day? Or do I aimlessly wander through a day relying only upon myself for the strength, the wisdom, the patience, the courage, the love and understanding needed to radiate Christ to the world in which I exist today?