Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Timothy 6:2c-12; Luke 8:1-3)
In a famous sermon St. Augustine once warned pastors about
using their office for private gain. He
told them that they were playing with their salvation. One passage from the sermon reflected on
Augustine’s own service as a bishop. He
said, “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 him an account of my stewardship as well.” The reading from Paul’s First Letter to
Timothy contains similar thoughts.
Beyond urging
its reader to teach only Christian truth, the letter tells him to beware of
ideological positions which create controversy.
Most emphatically, it warns him about using his office for monetary
gain. The true wealth of a pastor, it
indicates, is the hope of eternal life.
Both Augustine’s sermon and the First Letter to Timothy have
application in every adult’s life. Parents
especially have to account in part for the lives of their children as well as
their own lives. We all belong to
communities in which we have some responsibility for others. We should not attend to those
responsibilities out of selfish motives but always as a means of service to the
Lord.
