In St Paul’s first letter to Timothy, we hear an interesting description of what Paul sees as values towards which certain Church leaders should strive. One word in particular stood out to me in his description - “dignified.” St Paul states that a bishop should keep his children under control with perfect dignity. Deacons should be dignified. Women, as well, should be dignified. Elsewhere, in this letter, St Paul states that the elders of the Christian community should be dignified, that dignity is an important characteristic of good Christian teaching. In some translations of these Scripture verses, dignity is translated as gravity or seriousness. Just as gravity is an unstoppable force of nature, so too, the way we teach and the way we lead a good Christian life should produce long-lasting fruits which are unstoppable, which cannot be overcome. We are called to dignity, perfection, and holiness on our journey of faith: not just our elders, deacons, and bishops, but all of us as disciples of Christ. Rather than taking ourselves too seriously, rather than becoming arrogant or prideful, we're to be humble and obedient. We are called to give our greatest effort to our life of disciples and our life of holiness, to do so with joy, with wonder, and in awe of our loving and merciful God.
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