A-Z of Paul: Timothy and Titus

The Letters of Paul to both Timothy and Titus are know as the 'Pastoral Epistles'. If we read them carefully, we can notice several things about them. The first is that they are addressed to individuals who seem to have responsibility for local Churches. It seems likely that both Timothy and Titus are early bishops, episkopoi, who, if we take the literal meaning of the Greek word, 'oversaw' the affairs of the local Churches. We also notice that the tone and the content of the letters is quite different to, say the Letter to the Romans or the Corinthian Epistles. Many scholars are of the opinion that the different style of these letters is a sign that they are not in fact from Paul - the tone and language are, after all, very different. On the other hand, it can be argued that the letters addressed to both Timothy and Titus have a very different aim in mind. A leader such as Paul would, after all, write quite a different letter to other Church leaders than the kind that he might write for instructing and encouraging all the members of a Church in a particular place. The arguments for and against Pauline authorship will no doubt continue, and we must be careful not to be too drawn in, lest we lose sight of their value to all Christians.

The letters to Timothy and Titus are above all letters of support and encouragement. The First Letter to Timothy emphasises strongly the importance of prayer and of peace in the local Church. His instructions concerning those who are to be Bishops and Deacons show how clearly Paul thinks that holiness in Church leaders is fundamental in leading the faithful to Christ. Good leaders have a duty to ensure good teaching in the Church, and safeguard the wellbeing of the whole community, young and old (1 Tim 5:1-2). In the Second Letter to Timothy, it is clear that Paul believes his life to be coming to an end. This time, Paul encourages Timothy, and sets himself up as a model to be imitated, reminding him of the ways in which the Lord worked for him and through him throughout his life. 'Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching' (2 Tim 4:2). The letter to Titus, the shortest of the Pastoral Epistles, emphasises good teaching and good deeds.

So we can see how there are common threads running through all the Pastoral epistles. The Church needs leadership and authority to maintain its unity. But the effectiveness of that leadership will be compromised unless the lives of the leaders is upright and blameless. And this message goes out to all of us of course: if we are to show Christ effectively to the world, we must all be people of holiness, ready to do all we can to help and serve others. We must strive to be icons of Christ, for there is no more powerful way to draw people to faith than to make his face visible to the world in which we live.

A-Z Paul: Son/sonship

Before his conversion to Christianity, Saint Paul must have been very aware of Christian claims about Jesus. He no doubt regarded these claims as an objectionable glorification of a false prophet. They must have provided part of the reason for his zealous opposition to this new religion in defence of his own Jewish tradition. His account of his conversion on the road to Damascus, which turned Paul from opponent to apostle of Jesus Christ, makes plain that the experience involved him in a complete reversal of his opinion of Jesus. Jesus was no longer a false prophet for Paul but a unique representative of God. He writes in the Letter to the Galatians that 'in his good pleasure God, who had set me apart from birth and called me though his grace, chose to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles' (Galatians 1:15-16).

It is clear from his letters that for Paul Jesus' sonship was in some sense unique, that Jesus possessed a unique status and favour with God, that he in some way shared in the divine glory and so was worthy to be venerated with God at Christian gatherings. Yet Paul develops his understanding of the sonship of Jesus against the backdrop of Jewish tradition and Old Testament themes. In the Letter to the Romans, for example, Paul describes how Jesus was 'declared Son of God by a mighty act in that he rose from the dead' (Romans 1:4). This seems to echo the Lord's promise to David in the Second Book of Samuel: 'I will raise up one of your family, one of your own children, to succeed you and I will establish his kingdom [...] I will be his Father and he shall be my Son' (2 Samuel 12,14). Here Paul uses language and imagery from the Jewish, royal-messianic tradition to explain his belief about Jesus' place in God's plan. At the same time, he goes far beyond Old Testament ideas in his account of how Jesus was constituted God's son by his resurrection from the dead.

Later in the Letter to the Romans Paul writes of how 'God did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for us all' (Romans 8:32). Again it is possible to identify Old Testament allusions, to the offering of Isaac and, in particular, to the angel's words to Abraham: 'inasmuch as you have done this and have not withheld your son, I will bless you abundantly and greatly multiply your descendents' (Genesis 22:16). In his decription of Jesus as 'the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me' (Galatians 2:20) Paul may have been aware of the Jewish tradition which attributed to Isaac a ready willingness to offer himself up in obedience to God.

For Paul the purpose of God sending his Son was 'to purchase freedom for the subjects of the law, in order that they might obtain the status of sons' (Galatians 4:5). Through Jesus, therefore, Christians are brought into a filial relationship with the Father. Christians are fellow-heirs with Christ and are thus enabled to call God 'Abba, Father' (Romans 8:15). The sonship of Jesus, however, remains unique. The sonship of Christians is a derived sonship which is patterned on and given through Jesus' own Sonship which is not derived from another.

Dominican Pilgrimage to Lourdes (Part 4)

A pilgrimage is a time for prayer, preaching and study, but it is also a time for recreation and building community. The Dominican Pilgrimage brings together Dominican friars, sisters and laity, parishioners of Dominican parishes throughout the country, as well as students and friends of the Order. The pilgrimage is an opportunity for us to become acquainted, to grow in friendship, to exchange ideas and to have fun.










On the penultimate night, a very enjoyable social evening with music and singing was organized by fr Dermot.










fr John Farrell also blessed an enormous votive candle which burns in Lourdes for the intentions of the entire Dominican Pilgrimage.

Finally, small tokens of thanks were given to our helpers who contribute so much to making the pilgrimage possible, and to those who help organize it, including nurse Bridget (below) with fr John Farrell OP:




As usual, the pilgrims gave a very warm thanks to the friars who took part in the pilgrimage:

"For the many graces received here,

for all the conversions,

all the forgiveness,

all the healings,

for the vocations and promises

which you have witnessed or engendered,

for the love of serving others, which you have let us experience,

Our Lady of Lourdes

we thank you!

With all our brothers and sisters of the human race,

with all people in need of peace and justice,

with young people in search of a way,

you who appeared so young to little Bernadette,

with all those who are in mourning, who are ill,

handicapped, or facing a setback,

with those who may have a reason for despair:

Our Lady of Lourdes

We pray to you!

Because you are the smile of God,

the reflection of the light of Christ,

the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit,

because you chose Bernadette in her misery,

because you are the star of the morning, the gate of Heaven,

and the first resurrected creature

we praise you,

we acclaim you

and with you we sing the wonders of God

Magnificat!"

A-Z of Paul: Resurrection

The central message of Christianity is of our God who died, suffered the pain of death as we suffer it, and rose triumphant over it. In the resurrection of Jesus we are given the promise that death is not the end of our existence. Through our life in Christ, who is now living, we too continue to live. All are alive in Christ, all the faithful will reign with him.

When St Paul was preaching, word reached him that some in Corinth were denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and as a consequence, denying also the bodily resurrection of the dead. St Paul dealt with this problem in his first letter to the Corinthians, in Chapter 15. He tells the Christians of Corinth that unless Christ did indeed rise, bodily, from the dead, their faith was completely in vain:

Now if Christ is preached as risen from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ risen; and if Christ has not risen, vain then is our preaching, vain is your faith... For if the dead did not rise, neither has Christ risen; and if Christ has not risen, vain is your faith, for you are still in your sins 1 Cor 15:12-14, 16-17.

St Paul sees the resurrection of Jesus as the proof of our salvation; it is the final event in the salvific mission of Jesus. That is why the bodily resurrection must be seen as a real bodily event. Just as bodily death was the punishment for Adam's sin, which afflicts all humanity, so too the bodily resurrection of Jesus, his victory over death, is the remedy for all humanity, the end of death’s reign over us. Paul also tells us, in 1 Corinthians, that on the last day, when Christ will return in glory, we his followers will be glorified with him. Our bodies will be like his glorified body, we shall be changed to be as he already now is.

“For this corruptible body must put on in-corruption, and this mortal body must put on immortality” 1 Cor 15:53-54.

All of creation has been redeemed in Christ, and we too will be transformed by his resurrection. As believers we will die in Christ, but we will also be raised and transformed in him.

Dominican Pilgrimage to Lourdes (Part 3)

A distinctive aspect of the Dominican Pilgrimage is the attention to study and preaching. Every morning, the pilgrims gathered after Lauds in the cinema to listen to a talk given by the Prior Provincial, fr John Farrell OP.

In addition to the homily preached each day at Mass by a different preacher, there were also daily talks on a range of topics given by Dominican friars.

This year, Lectio Divina was introduced to the daily schedule as well as Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament each evening. Both of these took place in the hotel for those pilgrims who were unable to get down to the Lourdes Sanctuary with ease. 

Below is a photo of Adoration in the underground basilica.

In our Dominican tradition, preaching and giving talks is a handing on of the fruits of our contemplation, of prayer and a contemplative study of the Scriptures. Lourdes offered time for this vital element of our spiritual lives.

"Holy Spirit, you are the Spirit of love and unity.

Here in Lourdes, through Bernadette, Mary asked

for a Chapel, and for people to come in procession.

Inspire the Church which Christ is building on Peter’s faith:

that it may be one.

Guide the pilgrimage of the Church:

that it may be faithful and daring!

Mary, you are filled with the Holy Spirit,

you are the spouse and the servant.

You are the model for Christians, and the maternal face of the Church. 

We pray to you.

Hail Mary..."

A-Z of Paul: Quarrelling

St Paul was something of a feisty character, and was not unaccustomed to becoming involved in argument. We know that he was quite a vicious persecutor of the early Christians. Some of this passion seems to have remained in his character throughout his ministry. When Paul eventually returned to Jerusalem, following his conversion to Christ, it was Barnabas who persuaded the disciples to admit Paul to their fellowship (Acts 9:26). As a result of this intercession, a wonderful friendship between Paul and Barnabas was formed. It is, therefore, sad to note that they eventually had a “falling out” of sorts.

On the first missionary journey of these two friends, Barnabas takes his cousin John Mark, as their companion (Col. 4:10). However, we are told that during the journey John Mark decided to return to his home in Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). The reason for his departure is not specified in the text. When they had planned their second campaign, Barnabas proposed taking Mark as a helper, but Paul resisted the idea. The New Testament record indicates that a “sharp contention” developed between them (Acts 15:36-41). They could not reach an agreement, and so they split up. As far as is indicated in the scriptures, these two remarkable men never saw one another again. The segmentation of their work did not disrupt permanently the love and respect that Paul and Barnabas entertained for one another. Paul would later affectionately mention Barnabas as being worthy of monetary support in his work of proclaiming the gospel (1 Cor. 9:6).

There is also his argument with Peter about which he speaks in the letter to the Galatians. 'I opposed him to his face', Paul says (Gal 2:11). It is a moment in a much longer argument in which Paul was engaged with 'Judaizing' elements in the early Church, people who believe that pagan converts to Christianity should also be subject to requirements of Jewish law such as circumcision. Peter seems to have been trying to hold quarrelling factions together whereas on this one Paul felt that this would compromise the way to salvation now revealed, faith in the cross of Christ.

So, Paul was clearly a fiery brand, and yet when he wrote to the Corinthians he was very clear about the danger of quarrelling. He tells them that if the path to the cross is dominated by trouble and strife, then its power will be diminished (1 Cor 1:17). Therefore, he calls for the exclusion from the Church for those who espouse different leaders that oppose each other and segment the Body of Christ. But this was not just an early church problem for we experience similar problems today. There are factions, whether leaning right or left, that fragment the Body of Christ. Such factions wound Christ’s body with their theories and opinions about what Christianity should be. Often, they see personal views and entrenched stances as more important than what Christ taught and His Church developed.

But St Paul did not pull punches, so he challenged the factions to preserve the unity of Christianity. Challenging the kind of party politics that meant opting 'for Paul', 'for Apollos', 'for Cephas', before Christ, his argument is that there is one body that teaches the truth, and that is the Church of Jesus Christ. We are called together to be members of the Church, the People of God, the Body of Christ. We are not called to design our own church. Quarrelling worried St Paul because it threatened the very aims of his preaching by putting political or personal convictions before the unity of the Body of Christ. At the same time he was not averse to engaging in argument where the reality of what Christ had achieved was in danger of being compromised.

Dominican Pilgrimage to Lourdes (Part 2)

According to the Directory on popular piety and the liturgy, processions are "a manifestation of the faith of the people. They often have cultural connotations and are capable of re-awakening the religious sense of the people." In this way they are a form of preaching expressing and stirring up our faith. In Lourdes, two processions take place daily: the torch-lit Marian Procession with the Rosary every evening and the Eucharistic Procession with the blessing of the sick every afternoon.

On the eve of St Dominic's feast day, the English Dominican Pilgrimage led the Marian Procession, and friars and young pilgrims had the honour of carrying the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes at the head of a crowd of thousands.

The statue is carried to the head of the Procession.

Torches are raised high as hymns to Our Lady are sung.

Pilgrims in wheelchairs at the front of the Procession.

Fr John Farrell OP leads the prayers at the end of the Procession.

Rosary Square outside the Lourdes basilica is ablaze with thousands of torches.

Four of our young helpers carrying the emblems of the Evangelists used in the Eucharistic Procession.

The Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession by a French bishop.

The Gospel is read before a period of silent adoration in the underground basilica.

After a period of adoration in the underground basilica, Benediction of the sick concludes the Eucharistic Procession.

In addition, the pilgrims prayed the Stations of the Cross during which fr Thomas Skeats OP led the prayers and reflections.

Of course, a homily was preached every day during Mass by a different Dominican friar. Here, fr Leon Pereira OP preaches on the feast of St John Vianney.

"Lord Jesus,

You gave us Mary as our Mother.

She shared Your Passion and Resurrection.

Here in Lourdes she showed herself to Bernadette,

saddened by our sins but radiant with Your light.

Through her, we entrust to You our joys and our sorrows,

our own, those of the sick, and those of all people.

Mary, our sister and our mother,

our confidante, and our help:

we pray to you.

Hail Mary..."

A-Z of Paul: Pharisee

Is there not a deep irony in the fact that God chose a Pharisee to be the apostle to the Gentiles? Paul was a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees (Acts 23:6). Pharisaism was a lay movement, centred on study of the Torah, the Law of Moses, which believed that to study the Law was itself obedience to the Law. He trained in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the great teachers of the time (Acts 22:3; 26:4). The Pharisees were a strict sect (Acts 22:3; 26:5), zealous in their service of God and of His word in the scriptures. We are indebted to Paul himself for this striking description: I was, he says, 'as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the Church, as to righteousness under the law faultless' (Philippians 3:5-6).

Within Judaism, the Pharisees contrasted with the priestly Sadducees, not only in their position within the hierarchy of Judaism but also as regards their beliefs. Paul plays on this in his trial in Jerusalem, noticing that his accusers are made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees, and saying that the reason he is on trial is because of his faith in the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees shared this belief and the hope it offers, the Sadducees did not. So the two groups end up fighting with each other (Acts 23:6-10).

Paul was not only a clever but also a learned man. Pharisaism was an urban rather than a rural movement and so tended to be more sophisticated and cultured than other movements within Judaism. Paul knows the Bible through and through and is familiar with Jewish traditions about it and ways of interpreting it. He also knows a lot about Greek philosophy and is keen to engage with the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17). When Festus, one of the Roman officials trying him at Caesarea, cries out in exasperation, 'Paul you are mad; your great learning is turning you mad' (Acts 26:24), Paul replies calmly that he is not mad but speaking 'the sober truth'. He does not deny, though, that he is a person of great learning! His testimony at Athens, Jerusalem and Caesarea show him to have been equally at home with Hebrew and with Greek.

On a number of occasions Paul explains how he has been faithful to his original zeal and dedication even if both fellow Jews and fellow Christians find it difficult to see how this was so. 'According to the Way', he says, 'I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets, having a hope in God which these themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust' (Acts 24:14-15). Later he repeats this: 'I stand here on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain ... and for this hope I am accused. Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?' (Acts 26:6-8). He presents himself as a radical Pharisee, 'saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass, that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles' (Acts 26:22-23).

Abraham's faith in a God who raises the dead becomes central to Paul's thinking once he has encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus (Romans 4:17). Paul's 'faultless righteousness' on the basis of his study of the Law is shown up to be worth nothing compared with the knowledge of Christ, the first to be raised from the dead. Having once been zealous for the Law he is now zealous for Christ. This Christian Pharisee now regards everything else as so much skubala (a term that means 'dung' or 'excrement') compared with gaining Christ Jesus and being found in him (Philippians 3:7-11).

Dominican Pilgrimage to Lourdes (Part 1)

This year is the 150th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to St Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes. The annual Pilgrimage to Lourdes of the English Province took place from 1 - 8 August which meant that we had the privilege of celebrating St Dominic's day in Lourdes in this Jubilee Year.

As part of the Jubilee celebrations, Pope Benedict XVI granted a plenary indulgence to all pilgrims who visited four sites associated with St Bernadette in Lourdes and said a special Jubilee prayer. Inspired by this pattern, Godzdogz will post this prayer in four parts with various photographs from our pilgrimage based on the four elements of Dominican life: Prayer, Preaching, Study and Community.

In every Dominican pilgrimage, liturgical prayer is an important element. In Lourdes the highlights include the festive International Mass in the cavernous underground basilica and the more intimate Mass at the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette:

fr John Farrell OP presided at the Grotto Mass which was concelebrated by priests of the English Province, Bishop Joseph Vianney Fernando of Kandy (Sri Lanka) and clergy from Ireland and Sri Lanka.

fr Dermot Morrin preached during the Grotto Mass and likened the grotto to God's ear where God has, as it were, bent low to listen to our prayers.

One of our young pilgrims who was on his sixth pilgrimage to Lourdes received his first Holy Communion during the Grotto Mass.

Our new Pilgrimage Director, fr John O'Connor OP with pilgrims before the start of the International Mass.

The English Prior Provincial at the altar in the underground basilica of Lourdes.

One of our pilgrims was chosen to read an intercessory prayer during the International Mass, seen here on the big screen projected throughout the vast basilica space.

Daily Masses often took place in St Joseph's chapel.

The deacon proclaims the Gospel during Mass, surrounded by three altar servers from our London parish.

One of the most moving occasions is the Mass during which the sacrament of anointing is administered to the sick. Here, fr Dermot Morrin lays his hands on the sick; in the foreground is his own mother.

fr John Farrell anoints one of our sick pilgrims with the oil of the sick. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them."

Vespers is also celebrated with Mass each day and Lauds is sung together every morning. Here, fr Bruno Clifton OP and fr Robert Gay OP lead Vespers in Lourdes.

On Sunday we made an excursion to Gavarnie and sang Vespers in the beautiful church of Luz.

On our last night in Lourdes we were given the privilege of leading the Marian Procession. Carrying the heavy portable shrine of Our Lady in the rain made this an act of prayer and penance as well as a form of holy preaching, of which more in the next post.

"God our Father

among all creatures You have formed Mary,

the perfect creature, the “Immaculate Conception”.

Here in Lourdes she proclaimed this name and Bernadette repeated it.

The Immaculate Conception; this is a cry of hope:

evil, sin, and death are no longer victors.

Mary, precursory sign, dawn of salvation!

Mary, the innocence and refuge of sinners

We pray to you.

Hail Mary..."