Holy Martyrs Menas, Victor and Vincent (138-61). Our Venerable Father and Confessor Theodore the Studite (826).
1 Timothy 1:1-7. Luke 14:12-15.
Read 1 Timothy 1:1-7
Purity of heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Stray from these, and you are at risk of turning to idle talk and being a false teacher.
What is purity of heart? It is a heart that has as its first desire the Lord and all that is good. It is a heart that is undivided in its love for God and virtue. A heart that is not pure leads one to seek out the sweet-tasting destruction of sin and vice. A heart that is not pure is divided in its loyalties. Think of how a man can relate to his wife or a woman her husband. A spouse whose heart is pure will desire and seek out the joy and happiness of the other spouse and do nothing to damage that joy and happiness.
What is a good conscience? It is a conscience that is formed in God’s law and the teaching of the Church. We are supposed to follow our conscience no matter what. However, we can’t always assume that whatever we feel to be right or wrong is actually right or wrong. We need to take concrete steps to ensure that our beliefs about right and wrong are rooted in the truth that the Lord calls us to and the Church proclaims.
What is sincere faith? It is an honest and abiding trust that the Lord Jesus Christ is real and that He will keep his promise of salvation. It isn’t some white-knuckled ‘belief’ in the face of objections but a sober and quiet confidence that He is who He says He is rooted in a profound encounter with Him.
So pray for these things. Pray for a pure and undivided heart. Pray for a good and true conscience. Pray for a more sincere and honest faith. Seek out these things and live them and you will not go astray.