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