St. Paul was writing to a church at Thessaolonica that was not at peace and full of joy. Perhaps we can relate to this, with the current challenges that the Catholic Church faces today. What was St. Paul’s message to the Thessalonians? …to live simply, be content with what God has given to us, remain faithful to Jesus Christ and work tirelessly in doing good!
What does it mean to live simply? Our days can be filled with many activities. At the end of the day we may say: Where did the day go? We can easily get caught up in the tide of doing…work, chores, recreation etc. Living simply means living a balanced life. Perhaps we can step back and evaluate where our time goes. How can we carve out time for prayer, spiritual reading, reflecting on the Scritpures, or just relaxing without the TV, radio, internet, phone etc., and for serving in our parish and/or community? We should remember that all that we do should be for the glory and honor of God! Studying the lives of the saints often reveals they lived simply. They kept their minds fixed on Jesus Christ. When we do the same, Jesus will fill our hearts with His peace and joy.
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble and the day that is coming will set them on fire. The prophet Malachi speaks about the Day of the Lord. The temple had been rebuilt in Jersualem, but the Israelites had become lukewarm in their faith and did not keep the faith of their ancestors. The message for us is to remain vigilant in living a life in Jesus Christ. As Jesus says in today’s
gospel: By your perseverance you will secure your lives. We do not live in fear, but trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus promised to never abandon us and to be with us always. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. (Mt28:20) As Peter said: Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (Jn6:68) God bless us all always! Deacon Mike