Reading 1 Ex 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.
"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
Reading 2 1 Thes 1:5c-10
Brothers and sisters:
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for all the believers
in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia,
but 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.
Gospel Mt 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
Meditation: 1 thessalonians 1:5-10
“You became a model for all the believers.” (1 Thessalonians 1:7)
Paul really liked the Thessalonians! It seems that their faith and their joy in the Lord gave him a lot of comfort. So let’s take a look at the witness of these early believers to get a glimpse of how we too can live the Christian life and share our faith with those around us.
First, Paul says that they received the word with joy (1 Thessalonians 1:6). The Thessalonians heard about the gospel, they experienced the power of God, and they welcomed Jesus into their lives. The Holy Spirit has given us the same power. So let us, like them, welcome Jesus and embrace him more each day.
Second, Paul says that they received his message “in great affliction, with joy” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). Life wasn’t always easy for them. But their witness tells us that we don’t have to let the hardships of life take away our joy. As we persevere in faith, we will find ourselves surrounded and supported by Jesus’ love, just as they were.
Third, the Thessalonians wasted no time in proclaiming their newfound faith (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9). They mustered up the courage to tell other people about Jesus. News of their dramatic conversion to Christ seems to have traveled far and wide. Like them, we are called to share the gospel, with love and kindness (1 Peter 3:15-16).
Finally, they lived out the early church’s rallying cry: “Come, Lord Jesus!” Filled with the Holy Spirit, they fixed their eyes on heaven. Their longing for Jesus’ second coming can teach us to have a similar focus in our lives. We should all look forward to the end of time, when heaven will be ours!
The Thessalonians have left us a powerful example. May we all decide to work on these four simple points so that we too can become noble examples of faith.
“Jesus, fill me with your joy and your power today.”
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