From: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
God Desires the Salvation of All
[1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, [2] for kings and
all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life, godly and respectful in every way. [3] This is good, and it is
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all men to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is
one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to
which was borne at the proper time. [7] For this I was appointed a
preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Men at Prayer, Women at Prayer
[8] I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy
hand without anger or quarreling.
Commentary:
1. St Paul here establishes regulations for the public prayer of all
the faithful; it is up to Timothy, as head of the church of Ephesus, to
specify these in detail, and to preside over them. He refers to four
types of prayer; however, since the first three are almost synonymous,
he is probably just stressing the key importance of prayer in the
Christian life. St Augustine uses this text to explain the various
parts of the Mass: "We take as 'supplications' those prayers which are
said in celebrating the Mysteries before beginning to bless (the bread
and wine) that lie on the table of the Lord. We understand 'prayers'
as meaning those prayers that are said when (the offering) is blessed,
consecrated and broken for distribution, and almost the whole Church
closes this prayer with the Lord's prayer [...]. 'Intercessions' are
made when the blessing is being laid on the people [...]. When this
rite is completed and all have received this great Sacrament, the whole
ceremony is brought to an end by 'thanksgiving'--which is also the word
which concludes this passage of the Apostle's" ("Letter 149", 2, 16).
St Paul orders that prayers be said for all, not just for friends and
benefactors and not just for Christians. The Church helps people keep
this command by the Prayers of the Faithful or at Mass when "the people
exercise their priestly function by praying for all mankind" and "pray
for Holy Church, for those in authority, for those oppressed by various
needs, for all mankind, and for the salvation of the entire world"
("General Instruction on the Roman Missal", 45).
2. This desire to lead "a quiet and peaceful life" does not in any way
imply a relaxation of the demands St Paul makes in other letters. He
specifically says that prayers have to be said "for kings and all who
are in high positions" because they are responsible for ensuring that
civil law is in line with the natural law, and when it is citizens are
able to practise religious and civil virtues (to be "godly and
respectful"). Rulers have a heavy responsibility and therefore deserve
to be prayed for regularly.
St Paul's instruction to pray for kings and others is particularly
interesting if one bears in mind that when he was writing this letter,
Nero was on the throne--the emperor who instigated a bloody persecution
of Christians. St Clement of Rome, one of the first successors of St
Peter at the see of Rome, has left us touching evidence of intercession
for civil authority: "Make us to be obedient to your own almighty and
glorious name and to all who have rule and governance over us on earth
[...]. Grant unto them, O Lord, health and peace, harmony and security,
that they may exercise without offense the dominion you have accorded
them [...]. Vouchsafe so to direct their counsels as may be good and
pleasing in your sight, that in peace and mildness they might put to
godly use the authority you have given them, and so find mercy with
you" ("Letter to the Corinthians", 1, 60-61).
If one bears in mind the injustices and brutality of the world in which
Christians lived when St Paul wrote this letter, the tone of his
teaching shows that Christianity has nothing to do with fomenting
political or social unrest. The message of Jesus seeks, rather, to
change men's consciences so that they for their part can change society
from within by working in an upright and noble way. The Church, through
its ordinary magisterium, teaches that "the political and economic
running of society is not a direct part of (the Church's) mission (cf.
"Gaudium Et Spes", 42). But the Lord Jesus has entrusted to her the
word of truth which is capable of enlightening consciences. Divine
love, which is her life, impels her to a true solidarity with everyone
who suffers. If her members remain faithful to this mission, the Holy
Spirit, the source of freedom, will dwell in them, and they will bring
forth fruits of justice and peace in their families and in the places
where they work and live" (SCDF, "Libertatis Conscientia", 61).
3-4. God's desire that all should be saved is a subject which appears
frequently in the Pastoral Epistles (cf. 1 Tim 4:10; Tit 3:4), and so
he is often given the title of "Savior" (cf. note on 1 Tim 1:1-2).
Here it is given special emphasis: pray for all men (v. 1),
particularly those in high positions (v. 2), that all may be saved
(v. 6).
Since God wants all men to be saved, no one is predestined to be damned
(cf. Council of Trent, "De Iustificatione"). "He came on earth because
"omnes homines vult salvos fieri", he wants to redeem the whole world.
While you are at your work, shoulder to shoulder with so many others,
never forget that there is no soul that does not matter to Christ!"
([St] J. Escriva, "The Forge", 865).
God desires man to be free as intensely as he desires his salvation; by
making man free he has made it possible for man to cooperate in
attaining his last end. "God, who created you without you," St
Augustine reminds us, "will not save you without you" ("Sermon", 169,
13).
In order to attain salvation, the Apostle lists as a requirement that
one must "come to the knowledge of the truth". "The truth" is firstly
Jesus (cf. Jn 14:6; 1 Jn 5:20); knowledge of the truth is the same as
knowing the Christian message, the Gospel (cf. Gal 2:5, 14). The human
mind needs to come into play if one is to be saved; for, although
affections, emotions and good will are also involved, it would be wrong
to give them so much importance that the content of the truths of faith
is played down. As the original Greek word suggests, this "knowledge"
is not just an intellectual grasp of truth: it is something which
should have an impact on one's everyday life; knowledge of the faith
involves practice of the faith.
"The Church's essential mission, following that of Christ, is a mission
of evangelization and salvation. She draws her zeal from the divine
love. Evangelization is the proclamation of salvation, which is a gift
of God. Through the word of God and the Sacraments, man is freed in the
first place from the power of sin and the power of the Evil One which
oppress him; and he is brought into a communion of love with God.
Following her Lord who 'came into the world to save sinners' (1 Tim
1:15), the Church desires the salvation of everyone. In this mission,
the Church teaches the way which man must follow in this world in order
to enter the Kingdom of God" (SCDF, "Libertatis Conscientia", 63).
5. Verses 5 and 6 compress a series of statements into the rhythmic
format of a liturgical hymn, a kind of summarized confession of faith
containing the truths one needs to believe in order to be saved (cf.
v. 4).
"One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus": the Apostle
lays stress on Christ's humanity, not to deny his divinity (which he
explicitly asserts elsewhere: cf. Tit 2: 13) but because it is as man
particularly that Christ is mediator; for if the function of a mediator
is to join or put two sides in touch, in this particular case it is
only as man that he is as it were "distant both from God by nature and
from man by dignity of both grace and glory [...], and that he can
unite men to God, communicating his precepts and gifts to them, and
offering satisfaction and prayers to God for them" ("Summa Theologiae",
III, q. 26, a. 2). Christ is the perfect and only mediator between God
and men, because being true God and true man he has offered a sacrifice
of infinite value (his life) to reconcile men to God.
The fact that Jesus is the only mediator does not prevent those who
have reached heaven from obtaining graces and helping to build up the
Church's holiness (cf. "Lumen Gentium", 49). Angels and saints,
particularly the Blessed Virgin, can be described as mediators by
virtue of their union with Christ: "Mary's function as mother of men
in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but
rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin's salutary influence on
men originates not in any inner necessity but in the disposition of
God. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ"
("Lumen Gentium", 60).
6. "Ransom": in the Old Testament God is said to ransom or redeem his
people particularly when he sets them free from slavery in Egypt and
makes them his own property (cf. Ex 6:6-7; 19:5-6; etc.). The
liberation which God will bring about in the messianic times is also
described as redemption (cf. Is 35:9) and implies, above all,
liberation from sin: "he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities"
(Ps. 130:8). The same idea occurs in this verse: Jesus "gave himself"
in sacrifice to make expiation for our sins, to set us free from sin
and restore to us our lost dignity. "Unceasingly contemplating the
whole of Christ's mystery, the Church knows with all the certainty of
faith that the Redemption that took place through the Cross has
definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to his
life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent
because of sin" (John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 10).
"At the proper time": God's plan for man's salvation is eternal, it did
not start at a particular time; however, it unfolds gradually in God's
good time (see the note on Eph 1:10).
8. The raising of the hands at prayer is a custom found among both Jews
(cf. Ex 9:29; Is 1:15; etc.) and pagans; it was also adopted by the
early Christians, as can be seen from murals in the Roman catacombs.
External stances adopted during prayer should reflect one's inner
attitude: "we extend our arms", Tertullian explains, "in imitation of
the Lord on the Cross; and praying we confess Christ" ("De Oratione",
14). St Thomas Aquinas, referring to liturgical rites, comments that
"what we do externally when we pray helps to move us internally.
Genuflections and other gestures of that type are not pleasing to God
in themselves; they please him because they are signs of respect
whereby man humbles himself interiorly; similarly, the raising of the
hands signifies the lifting of the heart" ("Commentary on 1 Tim, ad
loc.").
Everyone should pray regularly (vv. 1-2) and be sure to have the right
dispositions; men need to make sure that they do not approach prayer
with their thoughts full of earthly ambition; and women need to be sure
vanity does not creep in. "Holy hands" refers to the need to pray with
a calm conscience, free from anger and spite. We already have our
Lord's teaching that "if you are offering your gift at the altar, and
there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your
gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Mt 5:23-24).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
