CCC Cross Reference:
1 Tm 3:1-13 1577; 1 Tm 3:1 1590; 1 Tm 3:9 1794
Lk 7:11-17 994; Lk 7:16 1503
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Reading 1
1 Tm 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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
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.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Timothy 3:1 – 13
Here is a saying that you can rely on: To want to be a presiding elder is to want to do a noble work. That is why the president must have an impeccable character. He must not have been married more than once, and he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but kind and peaceable. He must not be a lover of money. He must be a man who manages his own family well and brings his children up to obey him and be well-behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own family have responsibility for the church of God? He should not be a new convert, in case pride might turn his head and then he might be condemned as the devil was condemned. It is also necessary that people outside the Church should speak well of him, so that he never gets a bad reputation and falls into the devil’s trap.
In the same way, deacons must be respectable men whose word can be trusted, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money. They must be conscientious believers in the mystery of the faith. They are to be examined first, and only admitted to serve as deacons if there is nothing against them. In the same way, the women must be respectable, not gossips but sober and quite reliable. Deacons must not have been married more than once, and must be men who manage their children and families well. Those of them who carry out their duties well as deacons will earn a high standing for themselves and be rewarded with great assurance in their work for the faith in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 100(101):1-3,5,6
I will walk with blameless heart.
My song is of mercy and justice;
I sing to you, O Lord.
I will walk in the way of perfection.
O when, Lord, will you come?
I will walk with blameless heart.
I will walk with blameless heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
whatever is base.
I will walk with blameless heart.
The man who slanders his neighbour in secret
I will bring to silence.
The man of proud looks and haughty heart
I will never endure.
I will walk with blameless heart.
I look to the faithful in the land
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of perfection
shall be my friend.
I will walk with blameless heart.
Gospel Luke 7:11 – 17
Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up’. And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people’. And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Timothy 3:1-13
Qualifications for Bishops
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[1] The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. [2] Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, [3] no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. [4] He must manage his own household well, keeping children submissive and respectful in every way; [5] for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil; [7] moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Qualifications for Deacons
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[8] Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain; [9] they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then if they prove blameless let them serve as deacons. [11] The women likewise must be serious, no slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well; [13] for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
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Commentary:
1. "The office of bishop": as explained in the "Introduction to the Pastoral Epistles", above, when these epistles were written the titles and responsibilities of the various church offices had not yet become fixed. The "bishop" (in Greek "episcopos" (overseer) was a priest who was in charge of some particular community. As a minister of the Church, his role was one of teaching (cf. v. 2) and governance (cf. v.5); his task was a demanding one and called for self-sacrifice, because any office in a Christian community is essentially a form of service: "The holders of office, who are invested with a sacred power, are, in fact, dedicated to promoting the interests of their brethren, so that all who belong to the people of God, and are consequently endowed with true Christian dignity, may, through their free and well-ordered efforts towards a common goal, attain to salvation" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 18).
In spite of the regard in which those "bishops" were held by the faithful, there seems to have been a shortage of candidates for the office. Hence St Paul's stressing that it is a "noble task"--to encourage a generous response by those who feel the Lord's call. From the very beginning, both pastors of the Church and many other members of the faithful have striven to nurture the germs of vocation which God places in people's souls. "Beyond question, the society founded by Christ will never lack priests. But we must all be vigilant and do our part, remembering the word: 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few' (Lk 10:2). We must do all that we can to secure as many holy ministers of God as possible" (Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 36).
2-7. The quality and virtues required for a "bishop" are similar to those for "elders" given in Titus 1:5-9. In the Pastoral Epistles "bishop" and "elder" (or priest) mean almost the same thing. In listing qualifications St Paul is not giving a complete list; he is simply saying that candidates for Church office should have qualities which make them suited to the work and should be morally irreproachable.
The Church, in its legislation, has always tried to see that suitable people are chosen as ministers. The Second Vatican Council lays it down that before the priesthood is conferred on anyone careful inquiry should be made "concerning his right intention and freedom of choice, his spiritual, moral and intellectual fitness etc." ("Optatam Totius", 6). In other words, a person needs qualifications in the form of human qualities and ability if he is to live up to the demands of Church office.
"This need for the secular priest to develop human virtues stems from the nature of his apostolic ministry which must be carried out in the everyday world and in direct contact with people who tend to be stern judges of a priest and who watch particularly his behavior as a man. There is nothing new about all this--but it does seem useful now to emphasize it again. From St Paul to the most recent doctors of the Church (take the teaching of St Francis de Sales, for example) one finds this question dealt with. It is none other than that of the contact between nature and supernature to achieve both the death of that man which must die under the sign of the Cross, and the perfect development of all the nobility and virtue which exists in man, and its direction towards the service of God" (A. del Portillo, "On Priesthood", p. 12).
2. "The husband of one wife": this is also a requirement of "elders" (cf. Tit 1:6) and "deacons" (1 Tim 3:12); it does not mean that the person is under an obligation to marry, but he must not have married more than once. From the context it clearly does not mean that candidates are forbidden to be polygamous (polygamy is forbidden to everyone); the condition that one be married only once ensures that candidates will be very respectable, exemplary people; in the culture of the time second marriages, except in special circumstances, were looked at askance, among Gentiles as well as Jews.
In the apostolic age celibacy was not a requirement for those who presided over the early Christian communities. However, it very soon became customary to require celibacy. "In Christian antiquity the Fathers and ecclesiastical writers testify to the spread through the East and the West of the voluntary practice of celibacy by sacred ministers because of its profound suitability for their total dedication to the service of Christ and his Church. The Church of the West, from the beginning of the fourth century, strengthened, spread, and approved this practice by means of various provincial councils and through the Supreme Pontiffs" (Paul VI, "Sacerdotalis Caelibatus", 35-36).
From then on all priests of the Latin rite were required to be celibate. Celibacy is appropriate to the priesthood for many reasons: "By preserving virginity or celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven priests are consecrated in a new and excellent way to Christ. They more readily cling to him with undivided heart and dedicate themselves more freely in him and through him to the service of God and of men. They are less encumbered in their service of his kingdom and of the task of heavenly regeneration. In this way they become better fitted for a broader acceptance of fatherhood in Christ" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 16).
6. "He must not be a recent convert": one of the functions of the "bishop" was to preside over the community; therefore, it would be imprudent to expose the officeholder to the danger of vanity and pride. As St Thomas says in his commentary, it is not wise to appoint young people and recent converts to positions of honor and responsibility, because they can easily begin to think that they are better than the others and cannot be done without (cf. "Commentary on l Tim, ad loc.").
"Fall into the condemnation of the devil" or "fall into the same condemnation as the devil": the original text is not very clear. It may mean that it is the devil who is doing the condemning, in which case it would be the same as saying "fall into the power of the devil" or "fall into enslavement by the devil". At any rate it is fairly clear that St Paul wants to warn about the danger of committing the same sin as the fallen angel, that is, becoming proud and thereby earning damnation.
7. Another function of the "bishop" was to represent the Church to "outsiders", that is, non-Christians. All believers should give good example (cf. Mt 5:16; Col 4:5; 1 Pet 2:13; 3:1), but those who hold Church office have a special duty to avoid giving scandal or providing grounds for gossip.
8-13. Deacons were ministers under bishops and priests. "The origin of the diaconate probably goes back to the "seven men of good repute" who were elected to help the Apostles (cf. Acts 6:1-6 and note); we do know that those men had an administrative role in aiding the poor and the sick (Acts 6:1); they also preached (Acts 6:8-14; 8:6) and administered Baptism (Acts 8:26-40). Later on mention is made of deacons alongside "bishops" in certain important communities (cf. Phil 1:1), which suggests that they were part of the Church hierarchy.
This letter shows them to be ministers subordinate to the "bishop"; in these verses, which some commentators call "the deacons' statute", their specific functions are not stated (they probably performed a wide range of tasks); however, it does appear that, unlike the bishop, they did not represent the Church to outsiders and they could be drawn from among recent converts
The requirements given here are very like those for the "bishop": as ministers of the Church they would naturally be required to live exemplary lives. The Second Vatican Council is in line with this text when it says that deacons, "waiting upon the mysteries of Christ and of the Church, should keep themselves free from every vice, should please God and give a good example to all in everything" ("Lumen Gentium", 41).
10. "Let them also be tested first": it is up to bishops (then and now) to ensure that holy orders are conferred on suitable candidates; probably even in St Paul's time candidates had to undergo a period of training, in the course of which their suitability could be checked.
The Church always tries to see that only people who are really suitable are given Church office, even if that means fewer people are ordained, for "God never so abandons his Church that suitable ministers are not to be found sufficient for the needs of the people; provided the worthy are promoted and the unworthy are set aside" ("Summa Theologiae", Supplement, q. 36, a. 4 ad 1).
11. The text says so little that it is difficult to work out who these women were. Many authors, St Thomas among them, think that they were deacons' wives be- cause the reference to them interrupts the list of qualifications for deacons. Many other commentators think that they were women who performed some function or ministry in the early Church; this would explain why nothing is said about the wife of the bishop (when the qualifications for bishops are given at the start of this chapter) and it would also explain why the comportment of the deacons and of these women is referred to using the same adverb--"likewise", similarly -- in v. 8 and v. 11. We do know (from a fourth-century document, "Apostolic Constitutions", 2, 26; 3, 15) that some women did help in the instruction of catechumens, in their Baptism, in care of the sick, etc. In the Letter to the Romans, Phoebe is described as a "deaconess" (cf. Rom 16:1) though she was not a sacred minister in the strict sense.
13. "Gain a good standing for themselves": this may mean that being a deacon could be a step towards the higher office of "bishop"; or it could mean that the diaconate itself is a noble position, just as the office of "bishop" is "a noble task" (v. 1). Perhaps St Paul uses this vague expression because it covers both these things: it is an honorable ministry and also it can be a step to a higher position in the service of the community.
"Great confidence": the original text uses a word which, in classical Greek refers to the right of free citizens to speak at public assemblies -- with full freedom, confident, afraid of no one, with self-assurance, etc. A good deacon should expound the doctrine of the faith in the same kind of way: he should be well versed in it, he should stress those aspects which are most apposite at the time, and he should not be affected by what others may think of him.
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From: Luke 7:11-17
The Son of the Widow in Nain Restored to Life
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[11] Soon afterwards He (Jesus) went to a city called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him. [12] As He drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. [13] And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." [14] And He came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." [15] And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. [16] Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited His people!" [17] And this report concerning Him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
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Commentary:
11-17. "Jesus crosses paths again with a crowd of people. He could have passed by or waited until they called Him. But He didn't. He took the initiative, because He was moved by a widow's sorrow. She had just lost all she had, her son.
"The evangelist explains that Jesus was moved. Perhaps He even showed signs of it, as when Lazarus died. Christ was not, and is not, insensitive to the suffering that stems from love. He is pained at seeing children separated from their parents. He overcomes death so as to give life, to reunite those who love one another. But at the same time, He requires that we first admit the pre-eminence of divine love, which alone can inspire genuine Christian living.
"Christ knows He is surrounded by a crowd which will be awed by the miracle and will tell the story all over the countryside. But He does not act artificially, merely to create an effect. Quite simply He is touched by that woman's suffering and cannot but console her. So He goes up to her and says, `Do not weep.' It is like saying, `I don't want to see you crying; I have come on earth to bring joy and peace.' And then comes the miracle, the sign of the power of Christ who is God. But first came His compassion, an evident sign of the tenderness of the heart of Christ the man" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 166).
15. This mother's joy on being given back her son reminds us of the joy of our Mother the Church when her sinful children return to the life of grace. "The widowed mother rejoiced at the raising of that young man," St. Augustine comments. "Our Mother the Church rejoices every day when people are raised again in spirit. The young man had been dead physically; the latter, dead spiritually. The young man's death was mourned visibly; the death of the latter was invisible and unmourned. He seeks them out Who knew them to be dead; only He can bring them back to life" ("Sermon", 98, 2).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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