19 September. Tuesday, Week 24
St Januarius, bishop and martyr
1st Reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-13
Church officials should be hospitable, truthful and capable
The saying is sure: ‘Whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.’ Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way – for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.
Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. The women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
Gospel: Luke 7:11-17
Jesus raises to life the dead son of a widow at Naim
Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favourably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
Variety of roles in the church
In Paul’s instructions to Timothy we can detect stages of development within church leadership. He no longer mentions the roles of apostle, prophet or healer, as in the days of Jesus, and the church will be led by bishops and deacons, aided (later) by presbyters and consecrated widows.
As the church expanded through the Mediterranean world it faced crises of internal leadership and external persecution, and it felt a growing for structures of organization. The development from charismatic to systematic leadership of the community is normal and necessary. While charismatic leadership is chronologically closer to Jesus, church remains essentially the body of Christ.. St Paul says: The body is one and has many members, but all the members are one body as is Christ. He reflects on the various kinds of gifts and abilities needed in church life.
The calmer virtues expected of bishop, deacon and deaconess are admirable indeed: irreproachable, married only once, of even temper, self-controlled, modest, hospitable, not addicted to drink, a good manager of one’s own household, holding fast to the divinely revealed faith with a clear conscience. Today we need to pray that people of this quality will still be inspired to offer themselves for the service of God’s people.
The one in need
In the time of Christ, widows were financially and socially very vulnerable. Without their husbands, they often had to depend on their children, particularly their sons, to provide for them. A widow who lost her only son through death was, therefore, the most vulnerable of all. It is such a widow that Jesus encounters in today’s gospel. The gospel reading tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion by this woman’s plight. That inner movement of compassion resulted in action on his part, as he restores her son to life and gives him back to his mother. It is striking that the widow in this story did not take any initiative towards Jesus; she did not cry out to him for help. Without waiting to be asked, Jesus simply responded to a situation of human grief and loss.
The same risen Lord reaches out to us today in our situations of grief and loss, without waiting to be asked. When we are at our most vulnerable, his compassion is at its strongest. We are not asked to carry our grief and our loss on our own; the Lord carries us with us; he suffers with us , “to suffer with” is the literal meaning of compassion. The Lord who touches us in his compassionate love also calls on us to be channels of his compassion to each other in our hour of need, to help carry each other’s burdens, as he carries ours. {MH}
