1 Timothy 6

We really covered the gamut of topics in our discussion with this lesson: the reality of slavery continuing today, how we defend our faith--and still have friends, and how we can be good stewards of the riches God has granted to each of us.

It's important to open our eyes to the reality of modern day slavery, even though we may seem entirely helpless in making that situation better.  Prayer. Prayer. Prayer.  This is always the first and best course of action when we think that there is little that we can do right a wrong.

Defending our faith in a gentle and loving way and being good and generous stewards are the two issues we can change by becoming better informed, and praying and meditating about what our conscience is telling us to do.

One of the many books that I could recommend to help us be better evangelizers of our faith is, How to Defend You Faith Without Raising Your Voice: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot Button Issues by Austen Ivereigh.  There are several other books with a similar intent that would be helpful as well.  We all know that shouting or being snarky wins no one to Christ.

The money thing...you're on your own.  I'm no financial planner.  You can just ask my husband.

So, here are my notes for this lesson.

Notes for 1 Timothy 6

Thanks for a great start for our Bible study year. I couldn't be happier with the vibe of our group, not to mention the size!  Lots of good and varied voices with plenty to share to keep us all walking toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanks for those who were able to make it for our annual lunch.  It's always a joy to get to know our members a little bit better over a tasty meal.

I told you I knew just the space for the beautiful quilted runner Cathy made for me.  Doesn't it look perfect on the coffee table in the sunroom?  What a surprise.  I love it.  Thank you so much.  And a little lovely elf even bought my lunch.  Wow!  Glad I came.

Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas to You All!
See you on January 8 for 2 Timothy 1.

One last thing.  Here's a little video for you to watch.  It's a commercial made by the Catholics Come Home organization.  They are trying to raise enough money to air it as often as possible on the major networks.  It's a good reminder for all of us about the meaning of the season. Enjoy.

1 Timothy 5

This week we were reminded of the importance of family and our responsibility to take care of not only their physical welfare, but their spiritual welfare as well.  A fitting lesson as we approach Thanksgiving, Advent, and the Christmas season.

In the next few months, we will all be blessed--hopefully feeling blessed--to spend time with family.  While it can be a joyful time, we all know that it can often be a time of stress as well with all the preparations that must be made.  Just as Paul advised Timothy to give care to those who truly needed help, we need to prioritize what receives our attention, what is most important, what matters.

And why not take Paul's advice about another matter as well...Go ahead an have a little wine!

Thanks again for your hard work.  It makes for a great discussion.

If you were unable to make it this week or are simply interested in my notes for this lesson, you are welcome to download them for your own use.

Notes on 1 Timothy 5

Happy Thanksgiving!  And don't forget, lunch next time--after our lesson.
See you on December 4.

1 Timothy 4

What do you know?  It turns out that the same good advice that Paul had for Timothy works out to be pretty good advice for all the members of the Church--make time for prayer, read and study the Word of God, serve your brothers and sisters in Christ, and do your best to live out your beliefs.  You know, practice what you preach!  Because the truth is, whether your the head of the Church, a diocese, a church, or your own Domestic Church (your home), your actions impact, not only your own soul, but the souls of those around you as well.  So, we do our best to live our vocation well.

My favorite passage from this week's lesson?  "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:4-5)  What a great teaching to remember as we prepare for Thanksgiving with family and friends. 

For those who were not able to join us or whoever may be interested:

Notes on 1 Timothy 4

Also, I had promised a link to the document released after the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops last month.  Remember, this is a document recommending the topics to be addressed at next year's Synod that will result in the final recommendations that will be given to Pope Francis to consider  as he prepares his remarks about the challenges of family life in modern culture.  In other words, despite the hysteria of many and to the disappointment of our mainstream media, nothing has changed in regards to the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding sanctity marriage and family life.  

Fear not!  The document is brief, easy to read, and truly demonstrates the desire of our Mother Church to address the many issues that our society faces regarding family life.  I encourage you to take a few minutes to read it for yourselves rather than let someone else interpret for you what this Synod was all about.  

FYI: The numbers at the end of the document indicate the number of bishops voting in agreement/disagreement regarding each numbered paragraph.  It is interesting to see which items may raise some further discussion in the next gathering.

"Relation Synodi" of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: "Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization" (5-19 Octover 2014)

Thanks once again for a great discussion.  If you are missing anything from past lessons, please go back to the older posts and you'll find all the downloads and links.

See you on October 20!

1 Timothy 3

Really.  How does two hours fly by so quickly?  At least it does for me.  I hope you all enjoy this study and our discussions as much as I do.

Today's lesson, in a nutshell, is to understand that, as Christians, it is important to conduct ourselves in a virtuous manner.  Not only to preserve our own soul, but to participate in the mission of the Church to preserve as many other souls as possible.  Because whether you realize it or not, people are watching, and your behavior speaks loud and clear to others about whether or not you really believe what you profess to believe by calling yourself a Catholic.

And the concluding hymn (vs.16) reminds us why we do it.  The Paschal Mystery.  That God became Man, was crucified, died, and rose again to save us.  Jesus restored our relationship with the Father.  And now we're one big family.  Each with a vocation that is sacred and divine.

So, I promised some links, didn't I.  Hopefully I have remembered them all.  Let me know if I've forgotten something, or if there is a problem with any of the links.

1.  I mentioned an important book about the sexual abuse scandal in the Church, and actually, there are two that I would recommend.  Both books are by David Pierre, Jr..  His first is called Double Standard: Abuse Scandals and the Attack on the Catholic Church, and the second is Catholic Priests Falsely Accused: The Facts, The Fraud, The Stories.  Both books are well documented and tell the real story, which is not necessarily the one you hear in mainstream media.  He doesn't make excuses for the Church or for any wrongdoing, but he does a very good job of telling parts of the story that most of us have never heard.  (Just as an aside.  I know that there are many people who would prefer not to hear any more about this and would rather stick their head in the sand.  After all, it's not a pleasant topic.  But as members of the Church, I think we owe it to ourselves and to our priests to know the truth about this issue so that we can discuss it intelligently when it is brought up in conversation with others.  And trust me, it's going to continue to be a topic of discussion for years to come.)

2.  I also promised links to two articles about the clergy and the organization of the Church--a who's who if you will.  The first article describes the Qualifications for Priests and Deacons, and the second article is about Church Structural Roles. 

3.  Finally, I have my Notes from 1 Timothy 3.

Thank you again for an interesting discussion today.
See you at our next meeting on November 6.

1 Timothy 2

As always, there's way more to cover than we can actually devote the time that we should, but another interesting session today.  I enjoy hearing everyone's take-away from the lessons.

I guess the bottom line for today, especially regarding the last section of chapter two, is that what Paul had to say is valid.  The trouble is, it was written in a way that was acceptable in his time, but read 2,000 years later is in danger of being completely lost because the way he said it now sounds offensive.  We do need to cut Paul some slack.  If he would have tried to overturn every social and political convention of his day, the message of the Good News would never have been heard.  Paul wasn't a social reformer; he was trying to save souls.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  (Gal 3:28)

That is Paul.  That is our faith.

As promised here are the links to the documents on women in the Church:
"Letter of Pope John Paul II to Women"
"Mulieris Dignitatem", "On the Dignity and Vocation of Women"
Summary Outline of "Mulieris Dignitatem"

The book that I recommended today is called Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood by Pat Gohn.  It's one woman's journey in discovering "the feminine genius."

By the way, there are several books that have come in from the special orders everyone placed at our earlier meetings.  Be sure to stop by St. Patrick Book & Gift as soon as you are able to pick up your books.  

Our next meeting is on October 23 when we will discuss 1 Timothy 3, pgs. 72-90 in our Catholic Commentary text.  See you then!

Oops! One last thing.  If you're interested, or happened to miss class today, below is a link to the notes that I used for our discussion.  We often digress, so reading my notes is not as much fun as attending our sessions, but I hope they are of some help.
Notes on 1 Timothy 2