1 Corinthians, Chapter 16, Verse 11
Therefore no one should disdain him.
Rather, send him on his way in peace that he may come to me, for I am
expecting him with the brothers.
Paul is talking about Timothy who
was a youth. He may have offended the Corinthians in a multitude of ways or
people may have disliked him because they disliked Paul but were afraid to
openly oppose an apostle. Power struggles are often common even among Christians.
I know it came as a great shock to me when I was working at a catholic all-girls
school that the nuns in charge had a loathing for the administration at the
opposing all boys Jesuit school. We must remember Paul’s advice on charity.
If
I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal and if I have the gift of
prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so
as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If
I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is
not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is
not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does
not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:1-8)
We should not be surprised
that good people often are prone to such vices knowing the devil never rests
and ever seeks to ruin the church of Christ. Therefore in times of unrest and
wishing to return to peace let us call upon Saint Michael for assistance in
opposing evil.
St. Michael, Champion of the Church[1]
The Church of God has always considered
Saint Michael as its special protector. The archangel himself has acknowledged
this to Constantine after the completion of a church in his honor saying, “I am Michael, the chief of the angelic
legions of the Lord of hosts, the protector of the Christian religion, who
whilst thou wast battling against godless tyrants, placed the weapons in thy
hands.” Assuredly, St. Michael will not fail to come to the aid of our Holy
Church. His assistance shall be forth coming in these troubled times when
legions of evil are visible throughout the world exciting the minds of men. We
behold their activities in the events of the media and the world-wide
propaganda against morality and religion everywhere. Yet, despite this we are
beneath his mighty leadership and with the aid of his own unvanquishable
legions we shall not fail.
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