Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops
(II Timothy
1:1-8; Mark 4:21-25)
Recently
deceased Australian cardinal George Pell took to heart St. Paul’s famous advice
to Timothy. Paul tried to encourage his disciple
and protégé Timothy to find courage to deal with his problems. Evidently, as Timothy’s teaching authority
was being challenged, he was unsure how to defend himself. “Stir into flame the gift of God,” Paul tells
Timothy. That is, he wants Timothy to
trust in the Holy Spirit’s gifts of fortitude and wisdom.
Cardinal
Pell died suddenly two weeks ago as the result of a common surgery. He had returned to Rome after spending over a
year in prison in a Australian miscarriage of justice. Cardinal Pell used the time as a long retreat
in which he wrote extended an extended memoir.
That reflection attests to his courage in facing setbacks. It also encourages others to profess the
truth of Christ in a world often antagonistic to him.
All of us –
priests, religious, and lay people – should prepare ourselves to defend the
truth of Christ. Often we are inclined to
silence when others belittle Christ’s teachings propagated by the Church. Be it opposition to divorce on demand or the
prospect of eternal life, we want to be both clear and kind about what we know
to be true.
