Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Timothy 3:10-17; Mark 12:35-37)
A Protestant layman once told a Catholic priest how much he envied him. The layman said that he would love to have meditation on Scripture his life’s work. Lay people can, of course, study Scripture, but their efforts are almost exclusively an avocation. Priests and Protestant ministers, on the other hand, make their careers deriving Scripture’s meaning and conveying their understanding to others in an appealing way.
St. Paul in the first reading today shows the highest regard for Scripture. He knows that it provides rich soil to root one’s life in. He exhorts Timothy, as the leader of a community, to find nourishment in Scripture. Working with it, he will find success as God’s minister as well as support as a vulnerable human being.
In fact, reflecting on Scripture daily, like a balanced diet enhanced by omega-3 fatty acids, will enrich anyone’s life. We cannot read it like Italians drink coffee in one gulp. Rather, more like cognac, Scripture should be read slowly and savored. It will leave behind an appreciation of life that will see us through both rough times and good.
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