1 TIMOTHY Chapter 1 (The first Book written by St. Paul that begins with an address to a specific person, Timothy.  May all be blessed to imagine this is written to each of us!):

1:1 From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus appointed by the command of God our saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,  (Jesus is seen in a specific way, as our “hope”!)

1:2 to Timothy, (The name means “honoring God” or “Honored by God”.) true child of mine in the faith (This implies the validity of understanding that believing in God actually changes our DNA, making us a “true child” of God and His Disciples.); wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.

(St Paul’s first assigned duty to Timothy):  Suppress the false teachers):

1:3 As I asked you when I was leaving for Macedonia, please stay at Ephesus, to insist that certain people stop teaching strange doctrines  (These”strange doctrines” are inventions of early Protestants who sought reasons to justify disobeying the Only Church-Creating Word of Jesus: “And I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.”)

1:4 and taking notice of myths and endless genealogies; these things are only likely to raise irrelevant doubts instead of furthering the designs of God which are revealed in faith.  (Hurtful distractions come from the fallen angels.  They take form in living, negative electrons of pride, envy, greed, gluttony, anger, lust, and sloth who try to keep our souls from being saved.  Catholics keep them in mind with the acronym “peggalas”.  They are there to keep all people from being Catholic enough to  get “the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven” for our immortal souls.)

1:5 The only purpose of this instruction is that there should be love, coming out of a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. (We must avoid an impure “heart”, an unclear “conscience” and an insincere “faith”.)

1:6 There are some people who have gone off the straight course and taken a road that leads to empty speculation;  (We look at the today’s meaning of “speculation” and find that it includes gambling in stock markets, investments, real estate, careers, and similar concerns that follow “speculation” about alternative ways to get “the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven” by being as Catholic as we can.)

1:7 they claim to be doctors of the Law but they understand neither the arguments they are using nor the opinions they are upholding.  (In every age, demons of vanity lead many to think it is meaningful to impress others with advanced degrees that only lead into greater confusion.  Earthly rewards like tenure, higher-paying jobs, and pensions lead many to stop loving God and their neighbors.)

Paul explains the purpose of man-made laws:

1:8 We know, of course, that the Law is good, but only provided it is treated like any law,

1:9 in the understanding that laws are not framed for good people. (Human “laws” are only there to keep the most disobedient people from hurting other people.  Laws are made to control some of the most dangerous people.  Fourteen of the worst sins of those who break God’s Law are enumerated):  On the contrary, laws are for criminals and revolutionaries, for the irreligious and the wicked, for the sacrilegious and the irreverent; they are for people who kill their fathers or mothers and for murderers,

1:10: for those who are immoral with women or with boys or with men, for liars and for perjurers – and for everything else that is contrary to the sound teaching

1:11 that goes with the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, the gospel that was entrusted to me.

Paul tells how he came to be in The Only Church Spoken Into Being by The Church-Creating Word of Jesus:

1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and Who judged me faithful enough to call me into His service

1:13 even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer, I had been acting in ignorance;  (That is a universal truth about all who came to be “a believer”!)

1:14 and the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus.  (God’s Faith and Love took actual form in Jesus.  “The Diary of St. Faustina” and words of all other Catholic Saints agree!)

1:15 Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them;

1:16 and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of His inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in Him to come to eternal life.  (“Eternal life” is for all who do “trust in Him” enough to “Be Catholic”.  May all Victims of Protestantism be blessed to “trust in Him” while they have time, even at the very end of their lives, to tell Him they regret not “trusting in Him” enough to get the actual “keys to The Kingdom of Heaven” that He left to His First Catholic Pope.)

1:17 To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

St. Paul tells Timothy what his responsibility is:

1:18 Timothy, my son, (Again, we realize that God changes electrons in the DNA of those who become Catholic to make them into actual “children of God”.) these are the instructions that I am giving you: I ask you to remember the words once spoken over you by the prophets, and taking them to heart to fight like a good soldier

1:19 with faith and a good conscience for your weapons. Some people have put conscience aside and wrecked their faith in consequence.  (Souls, like some ships at sea, “wreck” and sink on reefs and shoals.)

1:20 I mean men like Hymenaeus (His name means “singing man”.  We infer he knows parts of some “hymns”!) and Alexander (The name means “defender of the people”, which means he is less interested in defending Words of God.), whom I have handed over to Satan to teach them not to be blasphemous.  (That is is an interesting way to see what good Satan may do!)

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1 TIMOTHY Chapter 2

Paul’s first advice to Timothy and all of us is the most important: Prayer:

2:1 My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – (Those three kinds of Prayers should be prayed at every opportunity.)

2:2 and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet.  (We know what a blessing that can be!)

2:3 To do this is right, and will please God our savior:

2:4 He wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth.  (Every person on earth is among that “everyone”.)

2:5 For there is only one God, and there is only one Mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus,

2:6 Who sacrificed Himself as a ransom for them all. He is the evidence of this, sent at the appointed time (thereby fulfilling Prophecies of both time and place, Bethlehem.),and

2:7 I have been named a herald and apostle of it, and – I am telling the truth and no lie – a teacher of the faith and the truth to the pagans.

2:8 In every place, then, I want the men to lift up their hands reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.

Women in the assembly:

2:9 Similarly, I direct that women are to wear suitable clothes and to be dressed quietly and modestly, without braided hair or gold and jewellery or expensive clothes; their adornment (should be focused on making their souls more pleasing to God) is

2:10 to do the sort of good works that are proper for women who profess to be religious.

2:11 During instruction, a woman should be quiet and respectful.

2:12 I am not giving permission for a woman to teach or to tell a man what to do. A woman ought not to speak,

2:13 because Adam was formed first and Eve afterwards,

2:14 and it was not Adam who was first led astray, but the woman who was led astray and fell into sin.

2:15 Nevertheless, she will be saved by childbearing, provided she lives a modest life and is constant in faith and love and holiness.

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1 TIMOTHY Chapter 3 gives 19 requirements for The elder-in-charge

3:1 Here is a saying that you can rely on: (1) To want to be a presiding elder is to want to do a noble work.

3:2 That is why the president must (2)  have an impeccable character. He must not (3) have been married more than once, and he must be (4) temperate, (5) discreet and (6) courteous, (7) hospitable and  (8) a good teacher;

3:3 (9) not a heavy drinker, nor (10) hot-tempered, but (11) kind and (12) peaceable. He must not be (13) a lover of money.

3:4 (14) He must be a man who manages his own family well and (15) brings his children up to obey him and be well-behaved:

3:5 how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own family have responsibility for the church of God?

3:6 He should not be a (16) new convert, in case pride might turn his head and then he might be condemned as the devil was condemned.

3:7 It is also necessary that (17) people outside the Church should speak well of him, so that he (18) never gets a bad reputation and (19) falls into the devil’s trap.

Deacons

3:8 In the same way, deacons must be respectable men whose word can be trusted, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money.

3:9 They must be conscientious believers in the mystery of the faith.

3:10 They are to be examined first, and only admitted to serve as deacons if there is nothing against them.

3:11 In the same way, the women (Deaconesses) must be respectable, not gossips but sober and quite reliable.

3:12 Deacons must not have been married more than once, and must be men who manage their children and families well.

3:13 Those of them who carry out their duties well as deacons will earn a high standing for themselves and be rewarded with great assurance in their work for the faith in Christ Jesus.

Guiding The Church and our spiritual life

3:14 At the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon;

3:15 but in case I should be delayed, (We must be able to guide ourselves when necessary.) I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe.

3:16 (This are eight important description of The Catholic Faith preached by St. Paul and begins with Catholic certitude): Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, attested by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the pagans, believed in by the world, taken up in glory.

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1 TIMOTHY Chapter 4 tells us to beware of false teachers:

4:1 The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times there will be some who will desert the faith and choose to listen to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from the devils;  (We see that the true sources of any contradicting beliefs are “deceitful spirits” from “devils” who disagree with Catholic Teaching.)

4:2 and the cause of this is the lies told by hypocrites whose consciences are branded as though with a red-hot iron:  (What an awful way for a soul to be “branded” before going to Judgment!)

4:3 they will say marriage is forbidden, and lay down rules about abstaining from foods which God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by all who believe and who know the truth.  (Amazingly, many denominations no longer Baptize babies, telling donors: “We don’t bother with that until the person is old enough to choose to be Baptized.”   Billions of people have spent their lives with their souls weighed down by the crushing weight of Original Sin.”

4:4 Everything God has created is good, and no food is to be rejected, provided grace is said for it:

4:5 The Word of God and the prayer make it holy.

4:6 If you put all this to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus and show that you have really digested (Is this a “Pauline Pun”?) the teaching of the faith and the good doctrine which you have always followed.

4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales. Train yourself spiritually.

4:8 ‘Physical exercises are useful enough, but the usefulness of spirituality is unlimited, since it holds out the reward of life here and now and of the future life as well’;  (Don’t waste too much time on “exercises”.  We want to stay in good shape without making it into a religion.)

4:9 that is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt it.

4:10 I mean that the point of all our toiling and battling is that we have put our trust in the living God and He is the Savior of the whole human race but particularly of all believers.  (Preceding verses tell us who “believers” are and what they should do.)

4:11 This is what you (Not just Timothy, but all Catholics!) are to enforce in your teaching:

4:12 Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith, and your purity.

4:13 Make use of the time until I arrive by reading to the people, preaching, and teaching.

4:14 You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you; do not let it lie unused.

4:15 Think hard about all this, and put it into practice, and everyone will be able to see how you are advancing.

4:16 Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

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1 TIMOTHY Chapter 5 concerns pastors, widows, and elders within The Church:

5:1 Do not speak harshly to a man older than yourself, but advise him as you would your own father; treat the younger men as brothers

5:2 and older women as you would your mother. Always treat young women with propriety, as if they were sisters.

5:3 Be considerate to widows; I mean those who are truly widows.

5:4 If a widow has children or grandchildren, they are to learn first of all to do their duty to their own families and repay their debt to their parents, because this is what pleases God.

5:5 (The First Holy Sisters are described!):  But a woman who is truly widowed is left without anybody and can give herself up to God and consecrate all her days and nights to petitions and prayer.

5:6 The one who thinks only of pleasure is already dead while she is still alive:  (We see that “thinking only of pleasure” is death to the immortal soul.)

5:7 remind them of all this, too, so that their lives may be blameless.

5:8 Anyone who does not look after his own relations, especially if they are living with him, has rejected the Faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

5:9 Enrolment as a widow is permissible only for a woman at least sixty years old who has had only one husband.

5:10 She must be a woman known for her good works and for the way in which she has brought up her children, shown hospitality to strangers and washed the saints’ feet, helped people who are in trouble, and been active in all kinds of good work.

5:11 Do not accept young widows because if their natural desires get stronger than their dedication to Christ, they want to marry again,

5:12 and then people condemn them for being unfaithful to their original promise.

5:13 Besides, they learn how to be idle and go around from house to house; and then, not merely idle, they learn to be gossips and meddlers in other people’s affairs, and to chatter when they would be better keeping quiet.

5:14 I think it is best for young widows to marry again and have children and a home to look after, and not give the enemy any chance to raise a scandal about them;

5:15 there are already some who have left us to follow Satan.

5:16 If a Christian woman has widowed relatives, she should support them and not make the Church bear the expense but enable it to support those who are genuinely widows.

The elders

5:17 The elders who do their work well while they are in charge are to be given double consideration, especially those who are assiduous in preaching and teaching.

5:18 As scripture says: You must not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn; (Deuteronomy 12:4) and again: The worker deserves his pay (Luke 10:7).

5:19 Never accept any accusation brought against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses.

5:20 If any of them are at fault, reprimand them publicly, as a warning to the rest. (We must ask God for the wisdom and courage to do what St. Paul never feared to do.  In fact, we may ask him to intercede and ask God to help us when the need arises.)

5:21 Before God, and before Jesus Christ and the angels He has chosen, I put it to you as a duty to keep these rules impartially and never to be influenced by favoritism.

5:22 Do not be too quick to lay hands on any man, and never make yourself an accomplice in anybody else’s sin; keep yourself pure.

5:23 You should give up drinking only water and have a little wine for the sake of your digestion and the frequent bouts of illness that you have.  (That is very interesting dietary advice that all may easily heed.)

5:24 The faults of some people are obvious long before anyone makes any complaint about them, while others have faults that are not discovered until afterwards.

5:25 In the same way, the good that people do can be obvious; but even when it is not, it cannot be hidden for ever.  (We know that Judgment will reveal our faults and the good we have done.  St. Faustina teaches there is a scale made of God’s Sword that shows our life in the balance.)

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1 TIMOTHY Chapter 6

6:1 All slaves ‘under the yoke’ must have unqualified respect for their masters, so that the name of God and our teaching are not brought into disrepute.

6:2 Slaves whose masters are believers are not to think any the less of them because they are brothers; on the contrary, they should serve them all the better, since those who have the benefit of their services are believers and dear to God.

Be a true teacher:  First, teach them to believe, and then persuade them how to live.  Every Protestantism includes:

6:3 Anyone who teaches anything different, and does not keep to the sound teaching which is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which is in accordance with true religion,

6:4 is simply ignorant and must be full of self-conceit, with a craze for questioning everything and arguing about words. (The sevenresults of every kind of Protestantism is described): All that can come of this is (1) jealousy, (2) contention, (3) abuse and (4) wicked mistrust of one another;

6:5 and (5) unending disputes by people who are neither rational nor (6) informed, and (7) imagine that religion is a way of making a profit.  (The desire to be “making a profit” identifies what motivate every sort of Protestant.)

6:6 Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have.  (Being “content” with what God has provided for us is the only meaningful “profit”.)

6:7 We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it;  (Our soul goes to Judgment with only itself.)

6:8 but as long as we have food and clothing, let us be content with that.

6:9 People who long to be rich are a prey to temptation; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and dangerous ambitions which eventually plunge them into ruin and destruction.  (The results of pride, envy, greed, gluttony, anger, lust, and sloth; “peggalas”, are identified.)

6:10 ‘The love of money is the root of all evils’ and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith, and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.  (The only hope that many have is that such a “fatally wounded soul” may be restored in Purgatory.)

What Timothy, and all Catholic priests and religious must do:

6:11 But, as a man (person) dedicated to God, you must avoid all that. You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient, and gentle.

6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses.

6:13 Now, before God, the source of all life, and before Christ, Who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty

6:14 of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

6:15 who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords,

6:16 Who alone is immortal, Whose home is in inaccessible light, Whom no man has seen and no man is able to see: to Him be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

You must warn rich Christians!

6:17 Warn those who are rich in this world’s goods that they are not to look down on other people; and not to set their hopes on money, which is untrustworthy, but on God who, out of his riches, gives us all that we need for our happiness.

6:18 Tell them that they are to do good, and be rich in good works (That “wealth” is approved.  Catholic Investment Advice follows):, to be generous and willing to share;

6:19 this is the way they can save up a good capital sum for the future if they want to make sure of the only life that is real.  (The more time and effort we invest in prospering our soul, the better “investment” we make.  We may look with envy on the souls of Catholic priests and religious.  St. Faustina assures us that their souls “shine as brightly as the moon”, while our souls glow like stars in the night sky.  We may keep that in mind when we speak with Catholic priests and religious!)

Final warning and conclusion to Catholic priests, religious, and all Catholics:

6:20 My dear Timothy, take great care of all that has been entrusted to you. Have nothing to do with the pointless philosophical discussions and antagonistic beliefs of the ‘knowledge’ which is not knowledge at all;

6:21 by adopting this, some have gone right away from the faith. Grace be with you.

2 TIMOTHY Chapter 1  begins with Greeting and thanksgiving