MAY GOD MAKE US WORTHY OF HIS CALLING (2 Thess 1:11)

⏰Monday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time 2 (27 August 2018 – Memorial of St. Monica)

📖2 Thess 1:1-5, 11b-12; Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5 (R.v.3); Matt 23:13-22

“May grace and peace be yours from God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lord” (2Thess 1:2), amen.

At the beginning of this working week, St Paul encourages us just as he encouraged the Church in Thessalonica to work all the harder to live up to the status of our Christian faith not minding our different difficulties in life. This local Church was bedeviled with laxity because they were expecting an imminent second coming of Christ (the Parousia) and found it needless to do any work. This would surely increase evil in the society.

Hence, in this Letter as in most of his letters, St Paul reminded all that he and his companions have tried to live lives of emulation, and the people should emulate this.

Can you repeat the same call that St Paul made to the Thessalonians today to people around you? Jesus condemned the Pharisees in the Gospel because instead of showing light to the people, they were in fact blocking the rays of sun that tries to shine towards them (cf. Matt 23:13-22).

Unlike the Pharisees, St. Monica had to put in all she had to see to the conversion of St. Augustine, her son. She was an example of a good parent who taught her children the way to follow and lead them follow. Her advice, prayers and tears were very instrumental to the conversion of Augustine. Do people embrace conversion or move further into sin because of us?

Remember that scandal is one easy way to follow the footsteps of the Pharisees. May God help us this day and beyond to live the kind of lives that will win souls for Christ and not block them. Amen.

Have a glorious and victorious week ahead. Peace be with you.