September 17, 2013

Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 444
Reading 1

First Timothy 3:1-13

Beloved, this saying is trustworthy:
whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable,
married only once, temperate, self-controlled,
decent, hospitable, able to teach,
not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle,
not contentious, not a lover of money.

He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;
for if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of the Church of God?

St. Paul was giving St. Timothy the requirements for a Bishop.  Protestants make a big deal of the fact that he said that Bishops should be only married once.  They interpret that as a requirement that the Bishop must be married.  But they fail to take into account that St. Timothy was appointed a Bishop by St. Paul.  Yet, St. Timothy was not married. 

So, St. Paul is speaking about a conditional situation.  If the person seeking to be a Bishop is married, he must meet these requirements.

He should not be a recent convert,
so that he may not become conceited
and thus incur the Devil’s punishment.
He must also have a good reputation among outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil’s trap.

And a person who seeks to be a Bishop should not be a recent convert from another faith nor from sin.  Otherwise, he may become too proud and fall into the devil's trap.

Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful,
not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain,
holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Moreover, they should be tested first;
then, if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything.
Deacons may be married only once
and must manage their children and their households well.
Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing
and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

And he repeats the same requirements for deacons.  

Responsorial Psalm PS 101:1B-2AB, 2CD-3AB, 5, 6

R. (2) I will walk with blameless heart.
Of mercy and judgment I will sing;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will persevere in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me?
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
I will walk with blameless heart,
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
any base thing.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I destroy.
The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart
I will not endure.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
My eyes are upon the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.

Those seeking to serve the Lord in a greater capacity must be humble and willing to serve their fellow man.  And they must be righteous and obedient to God's commandments.

Gospel LK 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

As Jesus and His disciples approached a town called Nain, they encountered a funeral procession.  A widow's only son had just died.  In that time, he would have been her whole world.  I'm not speaking about a mother's great love for her children.  Without husband or son to provide for her, her future was bleak.

A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”

When the Lord saw her crying, He said, "Don't cry."

He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”

Then He raised the young man back to life.

The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst,”
and “God has visited his people.”
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.

Everyone was amazed and afraid and glorified God.  Because a Prophet had arisen in Israel!