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Wednesday of 9th Week OT
The Institute
June 1, 2016
STIR
INTO FLAME +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø
In greeting Timothy, Paul expresses
his gratitude 2 God & reminds him “2 stir into
flame the gift of God”
Ø What
is this flame? What is it about the stirring of a flame that causes Paul to use
this analogy?
LIGHT,
POWER, HEAT +++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø St.
Hildegard of Bingen, the 11th century German Benedictine abbess,
provides us with the answer
Ø As
the flame has three parts, she advises, so each part can be associated with F,
S, and HS respectively
Ø She
speaks of brilliant light, red power, and fiery heat
LIGHT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø The
flame has brilliant light that it may shine
Ø And
so the Father creator, with parental love sheds brightness on those who truly seek
it
POWER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø It
has red power that it may endure
Ø And
so the Son redeemer, whose human nature took on divinity, gave us an example of
power made perfect by embracing suffering and death
WARMTH
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø Finally,
the flame has fiery heat that it may burn and by which we experience the Holy
Spirit
Ø It
is this Spirit who burns ardently in our understanding and in the experiences
of our hearts
CONCLUSION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø So
what does it mean to “stir into flame the
gift of God”?
Ø It’s
to know, at the very least, that its embers are there, and then use the gifts
of word, sacrament, and community to fan those embers
Ø In
the end, it is to live and experience Trinitarian life in the present — moment
by moment
Ø Look
into any candle flame and see the mystery revealed!
Ø It
is that stirring to which we now turn
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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