21st Week, Monday, August 28
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.
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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
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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 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.
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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.
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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 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.
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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 with religion be clearly marked wrong. Christ is not only a Saviour but also a judge. The words of Christ tell us of his grace as well as 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 hair-splitting interpretation.
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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.
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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 neighbours 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
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Saint Augustine
Feast Day August 28
After he finished school, Augustine was first a speech teacher in Rome and then a professor in Milan. His mother followed him to these places, pleading with him to return to the Christian faith. In Milan, Augustine often listened to the sermons of St. Ambrose, the local bishop. Through them, he first learned to read Scripture prayerfully. He enrolled as a catechumen but wavered back and forth about being baptized.
Then one day while Augustine prayed to be free from his sins, he heard a child’s voice chanting, “Take up and read.” Augustine opened the Bible and read the first thing his eyes fell upon, Romans 13:13-14, which told him to give up his life of sin. Augustine was baptized at Easter and began reforming his life. With his mother he planned to return to Africa, but Monica died.
Augustine reached home and gave away all he had. Then he lived a quiet, prayerful life with a group of friends. This changed when Augustine visited the city of Hippo in 391. Valerius, the local bishop, was preaching on the shortage of priests. The crowd began shouting, “Let Augustine be our priest.” Augustine became a priest and then took Valerius’ place when he died.
As bishop, Augustine worked tirelessly for his people. He fought false religious teachings, protected the people from corrupt officials and invaders, and cared for the sick, the poor, and those in prison. His many sermons, letters, and books reflect the ever-deepening love he felt for God. He wisely observed: “You have made us, O God, for yourself, and our hearts shall find no rest until they rest in you.”
He wrote and advised bishops, popes, and councils. His influence on the Church and his fight against heresy were exceptional. He was loved by many, for he had struggled much and could help others who were struggling.
In 430 Vandals invaded the province. For three months Augustine inspired Christian hope in his people. Then he died of a high fever.
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Augustine’s Prayer:
Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you! Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you, and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen. You were with me, but I was not with you. They held me back far from you, those things which would have no being, were they not in you. You called, shouted, broke through my deafness; you flared, blazed, banished my blindness; you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you; I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst; you touched me, and I burned for your peace. Amen
