"May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace" - 1 Tim 1:2.
We are brothers and sisters in Christ. Consequently, we want to give each other the best gifts. Our intention is to support, accompany and help one another. We also ask God to make our beloved ones happy, peaceful and blessed.
According to Apostle Paul, the most valuable gifts are grace, mercy, and peace. All of these gifts we receive from God. First of all - grace. Saint Theresa of Lisieux said: "Everything is grace". If we reflect on this statement, probably we can agree with her. For everything which happens in our life can be understood as the grace of God. Some of these graces are pleasant, some are painful. Nonetheless, if we accept everything as a gift from the beloved Father, it becomes much easier to live on the earth. Secondly, the divine mercy. All of us are sinners who sometimes make wrong decisions and hurt others. Moreover, we are often proud and even offend God when we follow our bodily desires. Therefore, we should acknowledge that we also need God's mercy. Even if we commit small sins, we still have to ask for God's forgiveness and mercy. Thirdly, the gift of peace. We long for peace so much. The whole world lacks peace. But we forget where is the true source of peace. It is not in earthly pleasure, health, money, family. True peace can be found only in God.
Knowing about those most important gifts such as grace, mercy, and peace makes us stronger while facing all challenges of our life. Moreover, we can share these gifts with other people. If we open our hearts for God's grace, mercy, and peace, the Holy Spirit fulfills us with them. So we are to ask the Lord to grant us these special gifts and let us experience them.
Thus, we will continue our journey towards heaven with joy and peace in our hearts. We will not be afraid of false doctrines or wicked people who tend to hurt us. On the contrary, with a peaceful soul we will answer them that they do not serve God's plan (1 Tim 1:4). We will answer with love that comes from the pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith (5). Overall, we will follow the true teaching of the Good News which was entrusted to us by the glorious and blessed God (6).
Reflection on 1 Timothy 1: 1-11 by Fr. Józef Trzebuniak SVD.
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