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When I was discerning with my colleagues over the very-much-shortened summer holiday what a good school theme for my secondary school students this year could be, we could see that our students had been lacking confidence and passion, and there was also a loss of a sense of purpose. Perhaps it was due to Covid, the political climate, or some other reason.
In view of that, we were trying to look for a Bible verse that could effectively encourage our students to leave their comfort zone, even if they are only taking baby steps, so that they could be strengthened to do more (Magis) for the greater glory of God. It so happens that the verse was also read on October 2, 2022 in the Sunday Mass. ‘For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control’ (2 Timothy 1:7, NABRE). In his second letter to Timothy, St Paul was empowering Timothy, as he could see Timothy could eventually be a great church leader. He reminded Timothy of the Holy Spirit that had already descended upon him. And it was with that Spirit that Timothy was asked to leave Ephesus to go to Rome to meet Paul whose martyrdom was at hand.
As students at the Holy Spirit Seminary College, we often face challenges and can be disheartened. We might have academic, family, relationship, financial, and friendship issues, just to name a few. Whilst it is easy to encourage one another to just keep going, let us return to the Bible and recognise that the Holy Spirit has, too, descended upon us, whilst we received our baptism and our confirmation, and may the same Spirit be giving us fuel, so that we could continue on in this journey with ‘power, love, and self-control’. May we all have the power to persevere, the love to show concern for those around us, and the self-control to be prudent and live our lives in moderation. May God bless us all.
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