Beloved, this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the Church of God? (1 Tim 3:1-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/tuesday-twenty-fourth-week-ordinary-time
The requirements for bishops and deacons assumes that they would be married and have families. Being able to manage one’s household prepares one to care for the church. Perhaps we need to recover that key insight. Today's picture is of my ordination as a deacon at Saint Meinrad Abbey Church in 1977 with Archbishop George Biskup of Indianapolis.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Tuesday, Week XXIV, Ordinary Time
