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!