Our Venerable Father Hilarion the Great (371).
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5. Luke 10:22-24.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5
Paul begins most of his letters by offering a thanksgiving for the community or person he is addressing. This letter to the Thessalonians is no different. In this reflection I will offer some comments on Paul’s thanksgiving here.
Paul remembers the Thessalonians’ “work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope”. Our primary work as Christians is to worship the Lord and to make Him known to others. We can make Him known by evangelization, by service to the poor and widows, by expressing His beauty in art, to name a few. This is all work, yes, but indeed a labour of love, because it is grounded in the love of God and neighbour.
What is hope? I heard a brilliant definition of Christian hope recently: desire combined with expectation. We desire things all the time, but when we genuinely expect that this desire will be fulfilled, that is hope. When the hope is concerned with matters of faith, that is Christian hope.
“Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power.” When the gospel takes root in a person, that person’s life is fundamentally changed. When the gospel takes root in an entire community or people, that community is fundamentally changed. With this immense change comes great power and energy and enthusiasm. The Holy Spirit inspires and peoples’ hearts are enflamed.
These are a few of the things that Paul is thankful for about the Thessalonian church. These are signs that there was life in that Church at that time. And it would be good for us to pray and strive for the same in our lives and in the lives of our families, parishes, and communities.