"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
Second Timothy
Paul's letters to Timothy are considered pastoral letters addressed to the local church. Timothy was Paul's disciple in the region of Ephesus. The purpose of the letters is to instruct Timothy on the direction to take in the local Christian communities. These letters include exhortations to the faithful to lead lives worthy of the faith that has been entrusted to them. Early in Chapter 1 of second Timothy we read: "For this reason, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline."
The Jerusalem Bible refers to this "rekindling" as a "fanning into flame" the gifts that God gave us.
So how do we "rekindle" or "fan into flame" this gift of God's love? First of all, this rekindling is something that we must do at all times. It's so easy to slip into an apathy or numbness in regards to faith when we see this practice as unimportant. St. Paul's exhortation to the community of Ephesus and to Timothy is also an exhortation to us today.
The disciplines of renewing one's faith are somewhat personal to the individual. My ways are probably different from your ways, but there is certainly some commonalities.
The most common discipline for everyone is to spend some time each day in prayer. Without a daily discipline of prayer, life's' events (the things we think we have to do) will take over. And it's not that these things are unimportant. They are. We are all called into active service. But active service alone, without prayer, cannot sustain us, or rekindle our spirits to retain a vibrant faith and trust in the Lord.
Many times in my life, I have allowed my agenda to take over and control my day. It every case, it leads to a feeling of being on a fast train, and not having any way to get off. Prayer, first thing in the morning, is for me the only way I know of getting off that train and allowing the events of my life to unfold from there. This practice brings me to the present moment. It is here that I experience God's presence. It allows me to let God be a part of the events that follow.
When we realize how helpless we really are without the benefit that flows from prayer, we realize the importance of faith of God in our lives. For me, it is something like exercise. We don't need a lot to keep in shape. Doing a lot in a burst, say once a month, probably does more harm than good. But a little bit every day at the best time for you is all you need to keep in good shape. A daily discipline of prayer does the same thing for you spiritually.
This discipline can be practiced in many ways, and it is good for each of us to find the way that works best. A good part of my daily prayer is time spent in attentive silence. The less said, imagined and felt, the better. For others, it may be the reading of scripture, following a daily reflection like "The Word Among Us" or using the official church prayer.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says of His Father: He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." The one way we can be assured of being among the living is to develop the daily discipline of prayer to God who is present and active in each of our lives.
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