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.