Fr. Mike Schmitz

All deserted me.

May I not be charged against them, but the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.

And that's just, it's so important.

We have to recognize that this is our lot, right?

This is going to be our story as well.

That there are people that we're going to trust.

There are people who are going to be in our comrades in arms when it comes to following after the Lord.

And we just pray that we're not the ones who fall away.

We just pray that we're not the ones who betray.

We just ask the Lord, please, Lord God.

Help me not betray it.

But also when those friends, when those family, when those people in my life, when they do fail me, help me also like Paul to be able to pray.

May it not be charged against them.

Help me to forgive, to let it go.

You know, St.

Paul also, two things I just want to highlight because there's really powerful lines in chapter three where St.

Paul's writing to Timothy.

He says, as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.

Now, as St.

Paul is writing about the sacred writings, he's talking about the Old Testament.