Glory be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
The apostle Paul speaks about helping widows and their proper behaviour, as well as about presbyters.
At that time, widows did not receive state support, and it was difficult for them to provide for themselves, so they were often taken care of by the Church. Nevertheless, if a widow had children or other relatives who could actually support them, Paul tells them to do so rather than ask the Church. Instead, the Church was to deal mainly with those widows who really needed it, because there was no one else to help them.
At the same time, the help was not to be directed to vain entertainment, but to good needs.
If the widow was relatively young, Paul advised her to marry if she was not ready to live in purity and widowhood. Paul gives special honour to those who are ready to live a pure, godly life.
Regarding presbyters (priests), Paul says that they should be honoured as God's ministers. Especially those who also preach a lot and do a good job of it. The respect should be such that one should not rush to judge presbyters, but only when there are confirmed accusations. But if a presbyter sins, and it is proven, then expose and rebuke him openly in front of others (advice to the bishop, who was actually Timothy, in addition to the apostleship). The Church's judgement of clergy, therefore, cannot be secret, but should be known to others.
This latter rule is not always observed, in particular, I am reminded of the place where the righteous Joseph the Betrothed wanted to release the Virgin Mary, who was betrothed to him, in secret, so as not to dishonour Her, having then doubted Her fidelity and purity, until he was instructed by the Lord not to do so (although according to the Law of Moses, Joseph could even put Mary on trial, which could even result in a death sentence). Therefore, Paul's words should be considered in this context and we should look for what is best in each case, preferring openness (in the spirit of Paul's words).
For the parallel passages in Matthew (Matthew X, 17-22, XXIV, 9-13), please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21062023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/16092023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10042023.html
To the Monk Sabbatus the Sanctified:
For more information about these frequent readings to the saints, please refer to the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/16052023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!