CCC Cross Reference:
1 Tm 6:8 2837; 1 Tm 6:12 2145
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Reading 1:
1 Tm 6:2c-12
Beloved:
Teach and urge these things.
Whoever teaches something different
and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the religious teaching
is conceited, understanding nothing,
and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes.
From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions,
and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds,
who are deprived of the truth,
supposing religion to be a means of gain.
Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world,
just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it.
If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that.
Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap
and into many foolish and harmful desires,
which plunge them into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is the root of all evils,
and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith
and have pierced themselves with many pains.
But you, man of God, avoid all this.
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life,
to which you were called when you made the noble confession
in the presence of many witnesses.
Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 49:6-7, 8-10, 17-18, 19-20
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
They trust in their wealth;
the abundance of their riches is their boast.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough
to remain alive always and not see destruction.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Fear not when a man grows rich,
when the wealth of his house becomes great,
For when he dies, he shall take none of it;
his wealth shall not follow him down.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,
“They will praise you for doing well for yourself,”
He shall join the circle of his forebears
who shall never more see light.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Gospel:
Lk 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Timothy 6:2-12
This is what you are to teach the brothers to believe and persuade them to do. Anyone who teaches anything different, and does not keep to the sound teaching which is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which is in accordance with true religion, is simply ignorant and must be full of self-conceit – with a craze for questioning everything and arguing about words. All that can come of this is jealousy, contention, abuse and wicked mistrust of one another; and unending disputes by people who are neither rational nor informed and imagine that religion is a way of making a profit. Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; but as long as we have food and clothing, let us be content with that. People who long to be rich are a prey to temptation; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and dangerous ambitions which eventually plunge them into ruin and destruction. ‘The love of money is the root of all evils’ and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith, and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.
But, as a man dedicated to God, you must avoid all that. You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 48(49):6-10,17-20
How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Why should I fear in evil days
the malice of the foes who surround me,
men who trust in their wealth,
and boast of the vastness of their riches?
How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
For no man can buy his own ransom,
or pay a price to God for his life.
The ransom of his soul is beyond him.
He cannot buy life without end,
nor avoid coming to the grave.
How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Then do not fear when a man grows rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
He takes nothing with him when he dies,
his glory does not follow him below.
How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Though he flattered himself while he lived:
‘Men will praise me for all my success,’
yet he will go to join his fathers,
who will never see the light any more.
How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Gospel Luke 8:1-3
Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and several others who provided for them out of their own resources.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Timothy 6:2c-12
False Teachers Described
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[2] Teach and urge these duties. [3] If any one teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, [4] he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, [5] and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. [6] There is great gain in godliness with contentment; [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world; [8] but if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.
An Appeal to Defend the Faith
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[11] But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. [12] Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
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Commentary:
1-2. It is reckoned that approximately half the population of Ephesus were slaves; so it is reasonable to assume that a sizable proportion of the Christians there were slaves.
The Apostle does not tackle the social problem of slavery in a direct way; this does not mean that he was happy about the situation; he simply felt it was more urgent to make people appreciate the intrinsic dignity of all men and their equality in the order of grace (cf. Gal 3:29). Slaves too have been redeemed by Christ and called to be holy; therefore, upright conduct is required of them as of others (for other Pauline texts touching on slavery see, for example, Eph 6:5-9; Col 3: 22-4:1; Tit 2:9-10; Philem 8-21 and the notes on same).
St Paul provides two criteria to guide slaves in their dealings with others--apostolate and fraternity. For many pagans the example of their slaves was their only way of learning about Christianity; therefore slaves should act in a way that reflected their faith and their Christian formation (v. 1). If their masters were believers, the fraternity between master and slave should not lessen the slaves' obligations: they should fulfill these obligations out of a deep sense of Christian love. If this policy is applied, the whole social structure will become imbued with a Christian spirit and eventually the permanent abolition of slavery will come about, for "the ferment of the Gospel has aroused and continues to arouse in the hearts of men an unquenchable thirst for human dignity" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 26).
See also the note on Col 3:22 - 4:1.
3-10. What he has to say about unmasking false teachers shows he is writing from long experience. He twice describes them as knowing nothing. Their intentions are wrong, because they seek only personal gain (v. 5); the reason why they cause controversy and are forever arguing is to distract attention from their defects and lack of true wisdom (v. 4).
"Sound words": words which bring spiritual health, words of salvation (cf. note on 1:8-10). "The sacred words [words of salvation] of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 3): this phrase, and the quotation from Luke 10:7 in 1 Timothy 5:18, give grounds for thinking that at the time this letter was written there was in circulation among the Christians of Ephesus, a written Gospel, specifically that of St Luke. However, there is no other evidence to support this theory. The Apostle could be referring to words of our Lord accurately passed on in oral teaching.
"Teaching which accords with godliness" (v. 3). The term "eusebeia" ("pietas"), godliness/religion/piety, which appears in the New Testament only in the Second Epistle of St Peter and in the Pastoral Epistles, has a broad meaning. Sometimes it refers to Christian doctrine, not in the sense of abstract truths but as a revelation of God to man. Sometimes it means "religion" (cf. 1 Tim 6:54, where it is translated as "godliness"). In this passage (v. 3) it is the same as "revealed truth" insofar as revealed truth is our link with God; if one does not accept the truth, one breaks that link; if one makes use of it for financial gain one perverts its inner meaning.
10. "The love of money is the root of all evils": probably a proverb accepted even by pagans of the time, particularly the more educated ones. Christians were well aware of the harmful effects of greed (cf. 1 Jn 2:17 and note). St Paul uses this memorable phrase to get at the false teachers: the root cause of all their errors is their greed for possessions. It is clearly a perverted thing to do to turn godliness, religion, into a way of making money (v. 5). Those who try to satisfy this ambition will end up unhappy and wretched.
"It hurts you to see that some use the technique of speaking about the Cross of Christ only so as to climb and obtain promotion. They are the same people who regard nothing as clean unless it coincides with their own particular standards. All the more reason, then, for you to persevere in the rectitude of your intentions, and to ask the Master to grant you the strength to say: 'Non mea voluntas, sed tua fiat!--Lord, may I fulfill your Holy Will with love'"(St. J. Escriva, "Furrow", 352).
These severe warnings show how much St Paul suffers over the harm being done. "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil 3:18). Good teachers, on the contrary, are content with food and a roof over their head (v. 8); detachment has always been a pre-condition of apostolic effectiveness: "The spirit of poverty and charity is the glory and witness of the Church of Christ" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 88).
11-16. The letter's final piece of advice is given with special solemnity. There are two reasons for constancy in the fight (v. 12): the call to eternal life, and fidelity to the confession of faith made at Baptism. The second obligation, to keep what is commanded (v. 14), is urged with an appeal to the presence of two witnesses --God the Father, and Jesus Christ (v. 13), who firmly proclaimed his kingship to Pontius Pilate.
There is a very close connection between perseverance and the eternal sovereignty of God (v. 16): "The eternity of God", St Bernard teaches, "is the source of perseverance [...]. Who hopes and perseveres in love but he who imitates the eternity of his charity? Truly, perseverance reflects eternity in some way; only to perseverance is eternity granted or, to put it better, only perseverance obtains eternity for man" ("Book of Consideration", 5, 14).
11. "Man of God": this expression was used in the Old Testament of men who performed some special God-given mission--for example, Moses (Deut 33:1; Ps 40:1), Samuel (1 Sam 9:6-7); Elijah and Elisha(1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 4:7, 27, 42). In the Pastoral Epistles (cf. also 2 Tim 3:17) it is applied to Timothy insofar as ordination has conferred on him a ministry in the Church. Through ordination "the priest is basically a consecrated man, a 'man of God' (1 Tim 6:11) [...]. The ministerial priesthood in the people of God is something more than a holy public office exercised on behalf of the community: it is primarily a configuration, a sacramental and mysterious transformation of the person of the man-priest into the person of Christ himself, the only mediator (cf. 1 Tim 2:5)" (A. del Portillo, "On Priesthood", pp. 44-45).
"Fight the good fight": St Paul often uses military comparisons to describe the Christian life (cf., e.g., 2 Cor 10:3-6; Eph 6:10-17; Col 1:29; 2 Tim 2:3; 4:7), and they have found their way into the ascetical tradition of the Church (cf. note on 1 Tim 1:17-19). Here and in 2 Timothy he is referring more to keeping the truth unsullied, and to preaching: the "good fight of the faith" is of great importance to everyone.
"Confession in the presence of many witnesses": in addition to the day of his consecration (cf. 1 Tim 4:14), Timothy would have often had occasion to make public confession of his faith. However, this phrase is couched in such formal terms that it seems to refer rather to the profession of faith which has been made at Baptism ever since the early years of the Church (cf. Acts 2:38-41).
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From: Luke 8:1-3
The Holy Women
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[1] Soon afterward He (Jesus) went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the Good News of the Kingdom of God. And the Twelve were with Him, [2] and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, [3] and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
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Commentary:
1-3. The Gospel refers a number of times to women accompanying our Lord. Here St. Luke gives us the names of three of them--Mary, called Magdalene, to whom the risen Christ appeared beside the Holy Sepulchre (John 20:11-18; Mark 16:9); Joanna, a lady of some position, whom we also meet among the women who went to the tomb on the morning of the Resurrection (Luke 24:10), and Susanna, whom the Gospel does not mention again. The role of these women consisted in helping Jesus and His disciples out of their own resources, thereby showing their gratitude for what Christ had done for them, and in cooperating in His ministry.
Men and women enjoy equal dignity in the Church. Within the context of that equality, women certainly have specific characteristics which must necessarily be reflected in their role in the Church: "All the baptized, men and women alike, share equally in the dignity, freedom and responsibility of the children of God....Women are called to bring to the family, to society and to the Church, characteristics which are their own and which they alone can give--their gentle warmth and untiring generosity, their love for detail, their quick-wittedness and intuition, their simple and deep piety, their constancy.... A woman's femininity is genuine only if she is aware of the beauty of this contribution for which there is no substitute --and if she incorporates it into her own life" (St. J. Escriva, "Conversations", 14 and 87).
The Gospel makes special reference to the generosity of these women. It is nice to know that our Lord availed Himself of their charity, and that they responded to Him with such refined and generous detachment that Christian women feel filled with a holy and fruitful envy (cf. St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 981).
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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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