Father Mike Schmitz

It says, nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

There are also, this is the thing, there's also some people who are not living very noble lives.

In fact, there's groups of older men who were, the stories are that they might have been

walking around drunk all the time.

There were older women who were widows, but they were wealthy widows.

And so they're basically kind of living off of the generosity of the church.

And they were giving the church a bad name.

Not only were they giving a bad name, they were also gossiping.

And that is, as we know, gossip is deadly to community.

Gossip is deadly to relationships.

And so here's Paul writing to Timothy saying, listen, those men, correct them, but correct them as you would correct a father, right?

So you're not just lambasting them in front of everybody.

And these women, remember, we need to give our support to true widows, those who actually are in need.

and those who are willing to take the gifts that we're giving them and not just live idly but live nobly and and that's that's this key you know it's it's really hard it's one of those calls that we have which is not simply to kind of throw charity wherever but to apply it where it's needed in fact the the reminder that saint paul gives to timothy to pass on to everyone in ephesus is

The church is not the first line of defense against poverty.

The church isn't the first line of defense against someone living a life of desolation, that it's actually the family.

And so if you're going to be a Christian and you're not taking care of your own family, then you're failing in religion.

In fact, he says you're worse than an unbeliever.

A Christian who doesn't take care of their own family when they can is worse than an unbeliever, which is

convicting for so many of us who might be separated from our families and might be distant from our families and say, okay, how can I do that now in this life, in this day, and in this age will be a call for all of us.