Thursday of the
Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Timothy 4:12-16; Luke 7:36-50)
In one of the great sermons from antiquity St. Augustine exhorts
priests and bishops to take good care of the community of faith. Thinking of his own responsibilities, he
says: “In addition to the fact that I am a Christian and must give God an
account of my life, I as a leader must give an account of my stewardship as
well.” Augustine only echoes the first
reading today telling a church leader to take extra care in how he lives.
St. Paul’s disciple Timothy is told to “attend to yourself
and to your teaching.” That is, he must live
righteously and also instruct others to do the same. The passage concludes: “…preserve in both
tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.”
Of course, ordained ministers with the huge burden of responsibility
they carry must heed the advice. They do
not need our adulation or material gifts but our attention and prayers. It also applies to the growing number of lay
ministers who take on, at least temporarily, parallel duties of teaching and
consoling. Certainly, it applies to
parents as well who have the task of nurturing their children in the faith.
