1 Thes 1:2-5, 8-10 / Matthew 23:13-22
Paul rejoices over the Thessalonians; They turned to God.
Dag Hammarskjold became
secretary-general of the United Nations in 1953. He was killed in a plane crash in Africa in 1961. When his
New York apartment was cleaned, his personal journal was found with a note
saying it could be published in case of death. The
published journal, called Markings,
became a best-seller overnight. One
entry spoke of Hammarskjold’s conversion: “I
don’t know Who—or What—put the question....
But at some moment I did answer yes
to Someone or Something—and at that hour ... my
life in self-surrender had a goal.” In some similar way
the Thessalonians said yes to God.
***
When and how did we say yes to
God?
‘‘The only way to enter a higher life is by dying to
a lower one.” Author unknown
***
The first letter to the Thessalonians is the first writing of the New Testament. The gospels, the Acts and all the other letters came later. It was written in the year 50 in a tentmaker’s workshop in Corinth. Paul associates with himself his younger companions: Silvanus, who is referred to by his shortened name Silas in the Acts, and Timothy, the son of a Greek pagan father and a Jewish mother. Paul uses "we" sixty-five times in this letter. To treat his companions as equals is the sign of a great leader. The great leader is positive, cheerful, well-meaning, encouraging towards those entrusted to him. That is the tone of the letter. For the first time in the Bible, we read of the three virtues that join us to God: Faith, Love and Hope. But note: Paul attaches to each an attribute which makes it more meaningful and practical: to be a Christian is to live an active life of faith, to give concrete expression to this faith in a loving service to all, and finally, to endure trials with courage and hope. Faith does not say "Lord, Lord" but does the will of the Father. Love does not consist of words and emotions but of deeds, and Hope endures all for a purpose. It is these three that make us wait for Jesus.
***
The very reason why we are together here
is that we believe in God and his Son Jesus Christ, that through the Holy
Spirit we hope in the promises of God our Father and in the future to which
Christ leads us, that we are united through the Spirit of love with God and one
another. These are the marks of a good Christian community, for which Paul
praises his Christians of Thessalonica, the first Christian foundation in
Europe (the present Salonika in Greece). 1 Thessalonians is also the first New
Testament writing, written in 51 of the Christian era. May faith, hope and love
be characteristic for us and all our Christian communities.
***
It can be quite amazing to think about
the influence and power we can have over people. What we say and what we do can
influence others, be it for better or for worse. And more often than not we see
that power being used for the worse. In the gospel, Jesus gave an example of
how others can be adversely affected by our bad influence.
He said to the scribes and Pharisees: You
who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men's faces, neither going in yourself nor
allowing others to go in who want to. You who travel over sea and land to make
a single proselyte, and when you have him, you make him twice as fit for hell
as you are. Those are very grave and shocking words but nonetheless it shows
the reality of the devastating power and influence that we can have over
others. But on the other hand, we are also capable of influencing others to
rise above the sludge of this world and to reach for heaven.
In the 1st reading, we heard how St. Paul
gave thanks to God for the community at Thessalonika. But it was he who
preached to them the Good News and helped them to break from idolatry, convert
to God and become servants of the true and living God. They showed their faith
in action, worked for love and persevered through hope in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
So we have a choice: we can be like the
scribes and Pharisees and have a devastating power and influence over others or
we can be like St. Paul who was an instrument of God's saving grace for the
Thessalonians. Yes, we can choose, and let us pray that we will choose to be
signs that will point others towards heaven.
***
In the sermon on the mount, Matthew had
given us the eight beatitudes. Here eight times woe. Christ loved to call the
blessing of God on these eight blessed ones. But it was equally necessary for
the effect of his good news that what is wrong religion be clearly marked
wrong. Christ is not only Saviour but also judge. The words of Christ tell us
of his grace as also his demands. Three days this week we read the eight
condemnations.
The first: The scribes and Pharisees have
the key to the understanding of the word of God. They use the key only to shut
the door of the kingdom to the right understanding, not to open it.
Second: They move heaven and earth to
make one convert. The cost was in no proportion to the result. The new convert
became more fanatical than they.
The third: A truthful man has no need to
take an oath. An oath honours the name of God. They make it ridiculous by the
hairsplitting interpretation.
****
When we hold on to the letter of the law
without concern for its spirit, we easily become hypocrites, perhaps without
realizing it fully; also, when in the name of tradition, we sap it of all life,
or worse, when we speak beautiful words but act differently. For example, when
we speak of poverty, community, or dialogue, but live in grand style or fail to
communicate from person to person. Such contradictions are not only the lot of
Pharisees and scribes: they are often with us today.
***
Prayer: God our Father, you want
us to be the body of your Son. Let our faith be deep and strong, like a light
in the darkness for us and for all our neighbors far and near. Let hope sustain
us on the way to you and one another and keep us from discouragement. Let your
Holy Spirit bind us together in one loyal love that is always ready to excuse,
to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes, on account of Christ Jesus our
Lord. Amen
