Reading 1
1 Thes 1:1-5, 8b-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen.
For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
In every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, Jesus,
who delivers us from the coming wrath.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9bR. (see 4a)
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 23:13-22
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it."
Meditation: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8-10
We give thanks to God always for all of you.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is divided almost equally between words of praise and gratitude for the witness of these new Christians and words of teaching and warning to them as they face new challenges. Paul begins by applauding their faith and speaking fondly of the time he spent with them. He recounts how he first proclaimed the gospel to them. He recalls how hard he and his companions worked on their behalf. And he reminds them of how joyfully they accepted the gospel. Only then does he begin to teach them, warning them against idleness and clarifying his teachings about the Second Coming.
While Paul is undoubtedly sincere in all he writes here, he is also using a very shrewd strategy—an approach that we all should imitate. Sometimes we launch into teaching, exhortation, or intercession without remembering to begin with thanksgiving. We lecture our children about what they should do as if they had never done anything good in the past. Instead of appealing to the goodness we have seen motivate them before, we lay down the law forcefully and immediately. We forget that they really do want to do the right thing, and that they just need some extra guidance and coaching.
The same can be said about marriages. Nobody knows our spouse’s flaws better than we do—if only because we spend so much time together! It can be very easy to focus on these flaws as inconvenient burdens that we have to put up with. But God’s way is the way of love, forgiveness, and affirmation. It’s the way of gratitude and other-centeredness. Just as Jesus came not to condemn but to save, so husbands and wives should make sure that love and patience prevail over criticism and every other motivation.
Today, devote your prayer time simply to thanking God. Thank him for your spouse. Thank him for your children. Thank him for your parents and your friends. Spend time dwelling on all the good that God has done—and all the good that we can see in the people closest to us.
“Father, you have always done what is best for all of us. Teach me to love as you love.”
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