Today is the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. Both were co-laborers with St. Paul, and both received letters from him which are included in the New Testament. (There are two letters to Timothy in the NT.) Because of this, there are optional readings.
St. Paul wrote to Timothy, "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord..."
Christians cannot be cowards. It is not from the Lord, as St. Paul said. Cowardice is not fear - we all have fears. Cowardice is succumbing to fear and not doing the right thing because of fear. Not standing up for the truth in the face of persecution is cowardice. Even if that persecution is small, like being thought of as backwards or going against the popular tide. If you're giving in to cowardice - going along to get along - that's not from the Lord. It's time to man up, Christians!
Father, forgive us for being cowards. May we always speak and act with the holy boldness that you provide. Amen.
When you know the truth, you can boldly proclaim the truth! Get Catholic truth in a minute with A Minute in the Church at www.GusLloyd.com.
I really love this show! I drive in to work and enjoy hearing the readings and the reflections. This one particularly touched me, as I am a very shy person who was pushed into giving a presentation at work for over a hundred people. I copied down the verse “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice..” and carried it with me. When I started to get the butterflies (more like angry moths), I thought about it and how much God loves me and won’t let me fail. When I began to speak, I was shocked that the confident voice was coming out of my mouth. It went way better than I hoped. Thank you