Reading 1
2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18
We instruct you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother
who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked,
so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that
if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
This greeting is in my own hand, Paul’s.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
Gospel
Mt 23:27-32
Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
“Shun any who conduct themselves in a disorderly way.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6)
Many parents of younger children find it effective to handle inappropriate behavior by imposing a “time out,” having the child sit in a chair facing a corner, perhaps, with no talking or playing allowed.
St. Paul, too, is imposing a sort of “time out” when he tells the Thessalonian Christians to “shun” certain members who are sowing disorder. Apparently, this community had its share of troublemakers who refused to work and who abused the generosity of their brothers and sisters in Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:6,11-12).
These words from Paul might strike us as harsh. What about love? What about mercy? No doubt, that’s what the faithful Thessalonians had been trying to do. But like a parent who sees the big picture, Paul realized that these good intentions might backfire and do nothing more than encourage bad habits. It was time for some tough love instead. Anything else would only reinforce the slackers in their idle, busybody ways. And eventually, this would pull the church apart.
What about us? Do Paul’s words give us permission to avoid people whose behavior we find lacking? Not really. We must always look upon them as our brother or sister. Of course, there are serious situations where we might decide to pull back from a relationship. But cutting off the people whose behavior bothers us shouldn’t become our rule of thumb.
Remember, Paul also said that discipline must be exercised in love, with a view to bringing offenders back into the family circle. And so he qualifies his directive in two important ways. “Do not be remiss in doing good” means continuing to respond generously to genuine needs. And “admonish him as a brother” means relating with love, not self-righteousness (2 Thessalonians 3:13,15).
For Christians past, present, and future, the bottom line is Jesus’ command: “Love one another as I love you” (John 15:12). And none of us gets a “time out” from seeking to carry it out!
“Jesus, give me a share of your love for each and every person I know. Help me to look at them with mercy and compassion. Show me how to love them in ways that will draw them closer and closer to you.”
Meditation: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10,?16-18
No comments:
Post a Comment