STUDIO, ONE & TWO BEDROOM APARTMENTS

AMENITIES

∙ Beauty/Barber salon
∙ Activity rooms
∙ Indoor mailboxes
∙ Chapel
∙ Ample free parking
∙ Health & fitness center membership
∙ Private balcony

OPTIONAL SERVICES AVAILABLE

∙ Personal laundry
∙ Bathing, dressing & grooming assistance
∙ Meal delivery to apartment, guest meals
∙ Medication monitoring

Introduction: I preached to the residents who gathered for Sunday Mass here at Villa Maria on September 25.  The Gospel contained one of the most famous parables of Jesus, The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31) so I decided to preach on it.  However, the passage that haunted my prayer for a week was the second reading, First Timothy 6:11-16, so I have decided to share what I heard in that week in this reflection, and perhaps in the next.  For your convenience, I begin by providing you with the text.

          “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and greatness.  Compete well for the faith.  Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.  I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see.  To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.”

          Saint Paul and Saint Timothy and Their Relationship:  Most of us need no introduction to the figure of Saint Paul.  The famous accounts of his conversion and his work on three missionary journeys are spread throughout his writings and the Acts of the Apostles.  He is a towering figure in the early church whose writings include the first account of the Eucharist and a thoroughly developed understanding of who Jesus is and what we need to do to be His disciples.

          Saint Timothy, to whom the two letters bearing his name in the New Testament are written, had been Paul’s companion on the second and third missionary trips.  These trips were made mostly on foot and, occasionally, by boat so they probably spent much time together.  Now Paul did not always seem to get along with all of his companions, but judging from the tone of his letters to Timothy, they seem to have gotten along well.  In our passage, Paul addresses Timothy with the title, “Son of God”, a title given to prophets and holy men.  Paul shows Timothy, his onetime companion, great respect. 

Perhaps using a modern concept to help define their relationship, I read the passage as sounding like a mentor passing on advice on living to his protégée as the elder man is approaching the end of his life. Some scholars think this letter was written while Paul was in prison in Rome just a couple of years before his martyrdom ordered by the Emperor Nero.

“Laying Hold of Eternal Life”:  What Paul does in this brief passage is to give Timothy and us a brief summary of what our lives should be in response to Jesus’ call to be His follower and how to integrate Jesus’ teaching in our lives and actions.  Paul makes reference to Timothy’s profession of faith, similar, perhaps to our baptism and/or confirmation.  By these sacraments, initially we received the same eternal life that Timothy received.  We became Christ’s brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

But, Paul reminds Timothy, and us, that it is not sufficient to stop there, but we need consciously to “lay hold of this eternal life” that we now possess and develop it into a lived reality.  The spiritual life is a loving relationship with God. By “laying hold of eternal life, God’s grace and presence grow within us.  Thus we begin to reflect the loving presence of God within our persons.  Saint Francis of Assisi suggests that we constantly preach Jesus, but only occasionally use words to do so.

And how are we to do this? “”I charge you before God…to keep the commandment without stain or approach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  As we all know, this is a lifetime challenge.  By keeping the Ten Commandments, the Laws of Love and the challenges of the Beatitudes, we work constantly in laying hold of this eternal life.

In addition to these challenges, Paul urges Timothy to “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.”   Again this admonition should sound familiar.  Perhaps in modern terms it could read, “Pursue holiness, justice, a deepening prayer, faith, hope, love and gentleness.”  The pursuit of virtue is a slow process because it requires that we die to life qualities and actions that come almost automatically from our personality and emotions.  Thus laying hold of eternal life Is a life time challenge and it can only happen through the promptings of grace.

Saint Paul ends this passage with a vision of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  If we pursue His life and love, we will reflect in a limited way His unapproachable light.

Conclusions: I suspect that Paul urges Timothy to lay hold of eternal life because he, Paul, probably did it several times in his own life.  We know from Galatians 1:18, that after Saint Paul’s conversion, he withdrew for three years before going to Jerusalem to meet Peter and then to start his first missionary journey of preaching.  Each fall I find myself taking stock of my relationship, my friendship with the Lord.  Often this happens on my annual retreat.  I invite you this week to spend some time reflecting on how well you are responding to your friendship with the Lord.

Also I suggest that you take some time to evaluate how well you are praying each day.  Is there something you could be doing differently, or more often?

 Finally, I suggest you look at the list of virtues listed three paragraphs above.  Is there one that you need to seek from the Lord?  Remember that growth in virtue is a result of the free gift of God’s grace.  So is there a virtue on the list that might be a challenge for you at this time?  (I find that when I discover a virtue that is lacking in my life.  I spend months simply asking for the grace to become more patient, or kind, or just.)

Choosing the Better Part, Suggestions for Prayer: Tuesday, October 4, was the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most popular saints who ever lived.  One of the choices for the readings is Luke 10:38-42, the story of the busy Martha and her sister Mary who chose the better part of being a disciple, sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His words. Here are three quick suggestions for doing this.
 

1. Meditation: choose a passage like the Gospel of the day. Quiet yourself down.  Perhaps draw a few deep breaths and then read the passage slowly and reflect on it for ten minutes.  Let the words seep into your mind and heart.  (Sometimes setting a timer helps so you do not fret over if it is almost time.)

2. Rosary: October is the month of the year dedicated to recitation of the rosary.  It is a very powerful means of prayer over the centuries. It includes both learned prayers and meditation on the mysteries of the Faith. This month may be a good time to return to this ancient practice.

3. The Season of Creation: Pope Francis is known for his deep concern for the planet earth and its changing climate.  He has invited the Church to observe the Season of the Mystery of Creation from September 1 to the Feast of Saint Francis, October 4.  He urged people to go out and to observe the change of season and all its beauty.  Here in coastal Louisiana, it is only now comfortable to do so. 

I suggest that for the rest of October, we sit outside a little each day, observe the slow changes in nature as they occur.  Marvel as best you can at the world of creation as it moves into the Fall: its changing light, the beauty of the trees, the special fruit and flowers, the comfortable air. I have always found that these seasonal images help me to pray better.

I include a brief poem that I wrote at the retreat house in 2006.  While composed later in the season, it captures a little of the spirit of the season.

Thanksgiving at Sixty-Five

The maple glistens in early lambent light,
          All red, russet and orange,
As the teeming swamp settles in
          For a brief winter sleep.

"When my mother had her 100th birthday, Villa Maria had a party especially for the family.  Mom was also presented with a rocker for the porch with a plaque honoring the special occasion.  The usual monthly party also honored other August birthdays. 
I believe my beautiful mom has added years to her life by being at Villa Maria.  The staff there are simply marvelous!"

Phyllis P.