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Year A: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Second Reading: Thessalonians 1: 1-5 Today, we begin reading the earliest writings in the New Testament. The first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest surviving Christian letter, written in about 50 A.D. Paul and Sylvanus had been expelled from Thessalonika, a port in Macedonia (what is now northern Greece) because their preaching was too effective and too many people were converting from Judaism to Christianity. The reading is in large part a greeting - and giving thanks that the community not only received the Good News but has persevered and continued to thrive. The Good News came to them - in power and in utter conviction and this is demonstrated by their faith in action, love and perseverance. This is a sign that they are “good soil” where the Word of God has taken root and is bearing fruit in the abundance Jesus promised in the parable of the Sower. (Matt. 13:1-23) It is the kind of community that we can model ourselves on - a community whose faith spills over into action - a community who listens to the Word of God, reflects on it and lets it take deep root in their hearts. The Word then grows and develops and bears fruit in actions. It is hard for us to feel the enthusiasm of the Thessalonians - when Christianity was brand new and exciting. Two thousand years of life have taken their toll! and yet, when we look around the world, we see people who meet the Gospel and embrace it with joy and enthusiasm. We can learn from them. We can also lean on those two thousand years. The Thessalonians lived their Christian lives in the expectation that Jesus would be returning in their lifetimes. This was obviously not the case - but the fact that we are still here shows that what was sown in that small community was strong enough to bear fruit all this time later. What does it mean for me?
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