Part 5

Paul finishes off his letter with a positive note, knowing the trials the Thessalonians will have to endure. In a positive way, he leads them into keeping vigilant. He makes the comparison between those who are asleep to those who are awake. Those who are asleep are those who are in sin, thinking that their accounting of actions is still far off. But they have suffered much and are very aware that life could be cut short or be greatly affected in a negative way. This chapter is very applicable to us today. We see, the signs of the times (Lk 29-31) in our recent world events and calamities. We ought to know that our judgement could be very close at hand. We need to be awake and make sure we do not flounder around in the way we live for Christ. We have more need of urgency in our faith than the Thessalonians did back then. We need to be awake for Christ, not just woke for failing politics. We need to fear God who can send us into the fiery Gehenna than those who can only kill the body (Mt 10:28).

The first thing we need to do is build each other up (v11). Paul is making clear that we are to be a blessing to each other in times of trial. We are in times of trial now. Now is the time to forgive one another and love one another. Now, more than ever, we need to be that family of God in the parish community life. Paul’s letter here gives another window into his understanding of community life as a parish. Paul talks about those “whose task it is exercise authority in the Lord to admonish you” to “esteem them with the greatest love” (v12-13). He does not say apostles, but he is referring to those whom they have sent and given that task. These are the priests and bishops. They are to consider them in terms of love and devotion. The task of priests and bishops are themselves to be of love and devotion for the people in the admonishment they give. Again, it is a familial understanding of what the church is.

Paul gives great advice as if he is thinking as a father with his children; “admonish the unruly, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all” (v14). Paul agrees that Jesus intended for the faithful are to help one another and love one another (Jn 13:34-35). The task of the Catholic in the pew is to be a part of a support network for each other. This is to be acted out within a parish community as well as outside of a parish community. That is why we support the Madonna Renewal center as well as the missionaries. When we give to either, we are participating and making real our call to be a blessing for others. Everything we do as Catholics are meant for this task, whether it be giving in the collection basket or calling a fellow parishioner to cheer them up. Paul gives great advice as to how we can do this for each other as a community.

Paul concludes the letter with a blessing and instruction. He wants this letter read for the whole community to hear. He is trying to give them hope in a difficult time and wants to make sure they get it. He also wants to make sure they keep loving one another in hope. Without that hope, how can we continue to give of ourselves? As Catholics, we understand to idea of dying to ourselves, in our own will and sacrificing our will in preference to God’s will. That is what the Lenten season is all about. In the sacrifices we make daily, our brothers and sisters are given that opportunity to hope in God. All this comes about by the way we love one another as Catholics. What a blessing!

Father Barr

Part 4

Through most of this letter, Paul consoles and encourages the Thessalonians. In the beginning of this chapter, Paul is encouraging them to grow in holiness. Paul has no bone to pick with them; but rather, he knows the trials they will have to endure and wants them to be prepared… lest they lose their faith. He mentions things from the Ten Commandments and the proper way of living justly toward one another and with others. Their example in such matters is foundational. In the same way, we today must have the basics of faith in the Ten Commandments memorized and lived. Without the adherence of such basics, growth in holiness is not possible.

We think that we have reached the pinnacle of perfection when we finally live out the Ten Commandments. Most of us will be shocked to hear that obeying the Ten Commandments is just the novice level in the spiritual life. The Ten Commandments says nothing about loving God and your neighbor, or of living out the beatitudes in Matthew chapter five. It says nothing about redemptive suffering and offering up that suffering for the greater glory of God. It says nothing about forgiving and even loving even your enemy.

Yet, how can we do that without getting the basics of the Ten Commandments right? Is living out this paragraph even possible? Only when a person has faith in Jesus and relies on Him for all the graces needed.

This brings us to a case in point dealing with death and suffering; the very reason for why Paul is writing encouraging them to holiness. They have concerns for those who have died in their faith. They were members of the community and dearly loved. Losing one person in a community is hard enough, but to have many die in the faith community— that is hard to accept.

Paul takes a little time to teach them about the second coming and the promise of eternal life (13-18). Paul gets detailed about the second coming. He states, “…God will bring forth with Him from the dead those also who have fallen asleep believing in Him” (v14). So when Jesus comes, He will raise from the dead, alongside those who will participate in eternal life. This repeats in verse sixteen as, “…the Lord Himself will come down from heaven at the word of command, at the sound of the archangel’s voice and God’s trumpet; and those who have died in Christ will rise.”

When Jesus comes again, He will come down in the physical sky. There will be a manifestation where many people will witness as Jesus comes down in the sky. This chapter does not clarify if it means all people, or merely the chosen selective. This verse also mentions that there will be a trumpet blast and/or the angel’s voice to accompany this reality. When God’s speaking is described to sound like that of a trumpet, we do not know if it will be both or if the angel will also sound like a trumpet. It is also not specific if it is just the heavens that will hear the voice or trumpet, or if it will be heard by humans. This chapter has nothing conclusive about those questions.

Some people ask, “But what about those who are still living?”  This chapter does say something about that. Verse seventeen says, “Then we the living, the survivors will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thenceforth we shall be with the Lord unceasingly.” By stating, “the survivors,” this insinuates the trials that are found in many other scriptural passages. We assume the trials are over by the time we meet the Lord “in the air,” so this applies to the very end of times, not before any time of peace that may have been prophesied. This says nothing about the survivors going through any death. The assumption here is that they would not die, but go on living.

In addition, assuming they do survive, purgatory may be during their suffering through the trials. Once they meet the Lord in the air, the survivors will also never again leave the presence of God. This is the destiny for those who remain in faith. It is consoling to know that God has made this promise for those who desire to be with our loving God.

Father Barr

*From the March 13th Bulletin

Part 3

Paul writes with his heart in chapter three. He reveals his true character and his inner disposition; as well his thoughts and feelings about the difficulties at hand. In his fatherly heart, he is anxious and even “shaken” by the trials of his children. He is under suspense as he is not able to be there with and for them. Though Paul cannot be there, he sends Timothy to Thessalonica.

Paul sends Timothy so that he can find out how well the faithful are enduring their suffering. He also wants to encourage them and give them words of comfort and strengthen them with any words he can give. You can sense Paul’s sheer passion behind all of the doting he does over the children. Moreover, Jesus Christ inspires this passion. He is concerned for the people’s faith. He is concerned for their eternal life. What good is it to have children if they do not eventually get to heaven…? It would be painful to see them suffer eternal punishment. We all die at one time or another. Some of us die earlier than others. Is it better to die later, only to go to hell? Paul is concerned for both their lives and their souls.

In this letter, you start to see the community behind Paul that responds with mutual care. Even though they go through their own trials, they are caring for one another. They do not abandon their faith in favor of an “all man for himself” mentality. A community of mutual love and support is firmly growing there in its place. In fact, it seems that the suffering they all endure together makes them stronger. They are there for each other and they suffer with each other in unity. They make the decision to suffer together rather than alone, and this is what bonds them in their love as a community. Jesus came to establish a church, not a book. Jesus brings life to the church while we are there for each other. He fills his people with the Holy Spirit all the more while He suffers.

This is how the Church and the people within it become fruitful, in cohabitation to our relationship with God. We start to grow in holiness and grace as God teaches us how to sacrifice for the good of each other. We are more and more inspired by the grace of God in our lives and by the people in our faith community. Their faith and suffering benefits the rest of the community as the rest of the community inspires faith in those suffering. God granted us that gift of togetherness when He created His holy church. This is why the mentality of “just Jesus and me” was never part of God’s plan for us. God never meant us to be alone in faith. As Satan knows all too well, “divide and conquer.” Through baptism, we are born again into a family of believers.

It is so important not to separate ourselves from the love of God that exists in this community. Every one of us has a role to play in God’s plan of love and sacraments. The other person in the pew is not a stumbling block, but an opportunity of love. If not today, you never know the goodness that may come in the future. But this is a message for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Do you have the faith to open your heart to God? Is your heart open to see the faith in your community and to love your family in faith?

Father Barr

*From the March 6th Bulletin

Part 2

In the second chapter, Paul gives his heart to the Thessalonians. He reflects upon his experience with them, and notes that they bring him hope. In this explanation, he reveals a little about how the conversion of the Thessalonians comes about. It was not by flattering words, greed, or the pretext of gaining glory (2:5-6). Paul simply speaks to truth and the Holy Spirit did the rest of the work.

This should remind us today that conversion with the faith does not happen because of the eloquence of the tongue. Eloquence may help, but does not make it happen. As humans, we have no silver bullet by ourselves. God, who works in the hearts of the people, prepares the soul to receive His grace.

Many people think that we have to get the numbers of people in the pew up. That is the observable mark that they consider the most important. It’s a goal that demonstrates how simplistic our minds can be. If we see more people in the pews, then surely the church is becoming more successful. In that end, we are tricked by flash in the pan reality. Just having more people in church doesn’t really measure success. All of those people also have to commit themselves. Meeting an observable goal may look good on paper, but if no substance is given, you may even end up with fewer people. The Catholic Church that Jesus Himself founded has been given the task to preserve the faith that Jesus has given us. When I went into the seminary, a friend of the family gave me a hat that read, “Jesus is my boss.” This is very true, but Jesus is also more than that. Jesus is also my Master. He has absolute authority over me as an individual. He especially has absolute authority over me as a priest. I have an obligation to do His holy work, which is to preserve the truth and bring the sacraments to His people among other things.

Jesus left the deposit of faith and the Catholic Church has preserved it for two thousand years. We are His servants. The Church has also been given the task to preserve our worship. There may be many people who think we have to change things to make us more “likeable” or to catch up with the times. This thought has no historical basis in the church. The Church does not change to the whim of the world. God expects the world to change into His conformity.

This conformity is innocence, purity, and goodness as a child of God. How do we make our lives “worthy of the God who calls” us to His glory (v12)? First, we have to listen to the word of God attentively (v13). This is spoken or written. Take note of the way Paul inscribes this. What the Church teaches does not come from man, but from God. Man contemplates this reality and discovers ever deeper of how it affects our lives.

In conclusion, we do not learn more by leaving the teachings of Jesus Christ, but rather by pondering the same reality. Changing things up to make the church more appealing goes against what Paul teaches us to do. I thank God that we have Paul to keep us guarded from falling into false teachings. We all need that help.

Father Barr

*From the February 20th Bulletin

Part 1

Before Paul writes to those living in Thessalonica, he writes first to Timothy, the bishop in the area that Paul himself ordained (2 Tim 1:6). Religious historians believe that he wrote this letter in Corinth. It was not long after Paul had visited Thessalonica that he wrote his letter. We believe that Paul wrote this letter in the year 51 or 52, because Gallio was Proconsul at the time, and Paul mentions this fact (Acts 18:12). Reading chapter 18 of Acts of the Apostles can give you an idea of what Paul was going through as he writes this letter.

Many people were dying and despairing. It was not an issue of people not having faith in God and His goodness. Rather, they had a misunderstanding of what was taught. They thought that the second coming was going to happen soon, and that people had to be alive in order to participate in the final placement in heaven. This puts clarity on what Paul is trying to explain and makes more sense of the text on the latter part of Chapter 4.

Paul begins with his usual greeting and praise of God in the first chapter. He thanks God for the Thessalonians, and he prays for them (v2). Paul has been preaching to every community, but he has also been diligently living out an example by which to show others how God wanted them to live. Paul did this everywhere he went. The Thessalonians seem to be one of the few places that got the full message; not just the words given, but the example as well (6). In many of Paul’s letters, he pointed out the way of life he lived as he was there.

 Actions speak louder than words. Yet at the same time, they can easily go un-noticed. As Americans, we often focus on the what. We think of teaching as somebody in a classroom writing on a board, and telling us the knowledge we need to know. But learning is much more than that. Real learning, especially when it comes to our faith, delves deeper than what words alone can contribute. Action is one of the tools that can convey what words cannot. Actions allow us to see what virtue looks like. It also gives us an experience of the goodness of virtue and it inspires us to follow that goodness. Action strengthens us as well. The more good actions we do, the easier it becomes to stick with it. Though the devil sometimes challenges us and makes things more difficult, we still gain strength from undergoing the hardship.

People lived out their faith and gave up all the falsehoods they used to follow before. They gave up all idol worship (9). They made the decision to follow God and to worship Him alone. There was no fulfilling purpose in sticking to past worship, nor was there a true fire to live on just entertainment. The people did not make their own religion the way they wanted it. They followed God as He is and had a desire in their own hearts to serve Him alone. This is where the power of God is shown.

The Gospel message is lived out and souls are saved. Actions are undeniable. It can speak lies or truths from our body language alone. Do our actions speak of how God is merciful and loving? Do our bodies speak of virtue and goodness? Our bodies are where the Word is to be made flesh (Jn 1:14). Our very bodies become a temple created to serve the goodness of God. Living with the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts to the gifts that God has given us.

Father Barr

* From the February 13th Bulletin