The performance of our ministry

On Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the beginning of the letter of the apostle Paul to Timothy (5:11-21) entitled "The final exhortation". Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope. Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540–604) was a Roman monk, administrator, theologian, and pope from 590 until his death, remembered as one of the greatest pastoral leaders of the early Church and honored as both a saint and Doctor of the Church. Saint Gregory's primary contribution to the teachings of the Catholic Church is his profound integration of sound doctrine with practical pastoral leadership, especially in shaping how the Church teaches, governs, and cares for souls. He emphasized that true Christian leadership is rooted in humility and service, most clearly expressed in his work Pastoral Rule, which became a foundational guide for bishops and clergy on how to shepherd their people with wisdom, compassion, and moral integrity. The work commonly called the Homilies on the Gospels by Gregory the Great is a collection of forty homilies preached or prepared by Pope Gregory primarily for the Christian people of Rome. Throughout the homilies he emphasizes repentance, humility, detachment from worldly things, charity toward the poor, perseverance in suffering, vigilance for Christ's return, and the responsibility to share the Gospel with others. His central teaching is that hearing Christ's Word places a responsibility upon us: grace is given so that we may be transformed, love God above everything else, put His teaching into practice, and help lead others toward eternal life. The major contribution to Catholic teaching of Saint Paul's first letter to Timothy is its early witness to the ordered pastoral ministry and teaching responsibility of the Church, while insisting that authority exists not for privilege but for service and the salvation of souls. Its enduring message is that sound doctrine and holy living cannot be separated: those entrusted with the faith must preserve the truth handed down to them, live it visibly themselves, and faithfully pass it on to others. Taken together, today's readings teach that Christian discipleship requires both personal faithfulness to Christ and active responsibility for helping others toward salvation. In our first reading, his final exhortation to Timothy, Saint Paul urges him to guard the faith entrusted to him, avoid the dangers of pride and attachment to wealth, pursue holiness, and remain faithful until eternal life; in our "treasure" from his homily on the Gospels, Saint Gregory the Great reminds those called to ministry that the harvest is great but the laborers are few, and that proclaiming Christ must be supported by the example of one's own life. Together these readings teach that we cannot be satisfied merely with knowing or professing the faith: we must allow Christ to transform the way we live and then faithfully use our gifts, possessions, words, and example to lead others toward Him—persevering in our mission with our hearts fixed on eternal life.