The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to examine the way in which the Spirit may be prompting us to use our resources to build up the Body of Christ.
The reading from the First Letter of Timothy contrasts false teaching with true riches in the good fight of faith.
* [6:2b–10] Timothy is exhorted to maintain steadfastly the position outlined in this letter, not allowing himself to be pressured into any other course. He must realize that false teachers can be discerned by their pride, envy, quarrelsomeness, and greed for material gain. 1 Tm 6:6 is rather obscure and is interpreted, and therefore translated, variously. The suggestion seems to be that the important gain that religion brings is spiritual, but that there is material gain, too, up to the point of what is needed for physical sustenance (cf. 1 Tm 6:17–19).
* [6:6] Contentment: the word autarkeia is a technical Greek philosophical term for the virtue of independence from material goods (Aristotle, Cynics, Stoics). (1 Timothy, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 49 addresses the folly of trust in riches.
* [Psalm 49] The Psalm affirms confidence in God (cf. Ps 23; 27:1–6; 62) in the face of the apparent good fortune of the unjust rich, cf. Ps 37; 73. Reliance on wealth is misplaced (Ps 49:8–10) for it is of no avail in the face of death (Ps 49:18–20). After inviting all to listen to this axiom of faith (Ps 49:2–5), the psalmist depicts the self-delusion of the ungodly (Ps 49:6–13), whose destiny is to die like ignorant beasts (Ps 49:13, 18; cf. Prv 7:21–23). Their wealth should occasion no alarm, for they will come to nought, whereas God will save the just (Ps 49:14–20). (Psalms, PSALM 49 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke identifies some women who accompany Jesus.
* [8:1–3] Luke presents Jesus as an itinerant preacher traveling in the company of the Twelve and of the Galilean women who are sustaining them out of their means. These Galilean women will later accompany Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and become witnesses to his death (Lk 23:49) and resurrection (Lk 24:9–11, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically mentioned; cf. also Acts 1:14). The association of women with the ministry of Jesus is most unusual in the light of the attitude of first-century Palestinian Judaism toward women. The more common attitude is expressed in Jn 4:27, and early rabbinic documents caution against speaking with women in public. (Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Jay Carney comments that as our gospel antiphon tells us, to be a Christian leader is to be a “little one” — open, curious, humble, and teachable. May we seek to be poor in spirit this day.
Pope Francis did not make up his oft-repeated line that “the love of money is the root of all evils,” as St. Paul reminds us today. Thankfully, our faith journeys are also shaped by the leaders who exemplify the Pauline virtues of the “man of God”—righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Such Christians truly exemplify the “noble confession” to which each of us is called in baptism….
In first-century Palestine, it would have been unusual and even scandalous for women to participate in a Jewish rabbi’s public ministry. And yet here is Susanna, stepping forward as a patroness to provide for Jesus and the Twelve out of her own means. Herod was a capricious and licentious king, and yet here is Joanna, the wealthy wife of his chief steward, walking with the Twelve as Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God. When her life was racked by possession and pain, Mary of Magdala was far from the leading candidate to become the “Apostle to the Apostles.” And yet it was Magdalene who stayed with Jesus at the Cross, only to be surprised by joy in the garden of resurrection. (Carney, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Everyone has something to give,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Frankly, even the poor have something they can share with others. Let one lend feet to the lame, another become the eyes of the blind, another visit the sick, and another bury the dead. These are the things that everyone can do. Lastly, bear one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ." (excerpt from Sermon 41,9) (Schwager, 2022)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Timothy 6:2-12 that today’s Gospel gives us an example of what a healthy relationship to money can look like. The women who supported Jesus were wealthy; they clearly had abundant “resources” (Luke 8:3). But their generosity with the gifts God had given them shows that they were not driven by the desire to attain more just for the sake of having more (8:3). They used money as a tool by freely sharing it to support Jesus and his ministry.
How does God want you to think about money? Remember that you can’t take it with you. So be content with what you have, and be as generous as you are able.
“Lord, I want to think about money the way you do.” (Meditation on 1 Timothy 6:2-12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes how the teaching in 1 Timothy resonates with the call of Paul in 1 Corinthians to hold on to the noble confession. Evangelization is supported by the community in harmony. Friar Jude notes how Luke stresses the role women played in the early Christian community.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that a compassionate presence is one of the fruits of contemplation. Fr. Richard writes about the great compassion St. Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) had for others, which is inspired by the great compassion of Jesus.
We see this movement toward a shared compassion in all true saints. For example, St. Francis was able to rightly distinguish between institutional evil and the individual who is victimized by it. He still felt compassion for the individual soldiers fighting in the crusades, although he objected to the war itself. He realized the folly and yet the sincerity of their patriotism, which led them, however, to be un-patriotic to the much larger kingdom of God, where he placed his first and final loyalty. What Jesus calls “the Reign of God'' we could call the Great Compassion. [2] (Rohr, 2022)
Catholic author Judy Cannato (1949–2011), who worked to integrate the gospels with the new cosmology, believed this Great Compassion was Jesus’ primary objective. She writes:
The realm of God that Jesus preached and died for was one that was known for its kindness and generosity, its compassion and healing. There was no one deemed outside the love of the Holy One whom Jesus called “Father.” No one was excluded from fellowship, not the rich or poor, male or female, slave or free. Jesus went beyond superficial divisions and called for a culture of compassion. (Rohr, 2022)
We may tend to categorize the goodness or suitability of people to be disciples of Christ by standards and categories of our material culture rather than by the gifts of the Spirit which are operating in their lives.
References
Carney, J. (2023, September 14). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092223.html
Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?1
Meditation on 1 Timothy 6:2-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/22/789602/
1 Timothy, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/6?
Psalms, PSALM 49 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/49?6
Rohr, R. (2022, October 2). With Compassion We Change Sides. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/with-compassion-we-change-sides-2023-09-22/
Schwager, D. (2022, October 2). The Women Provided for Jesus. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep22
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