In today's first reading, 1 Thes 1: 1-5, 8b-10, St. Paul, praises the Thessalonians for their "work of faith and labor of love, and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,...knowing...how [they] are loved by God, how [they] were chosen." The Gospel, Paul says to them, has come to them "in power and in the Holy Spirit." He thanks God that they have "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,...Jesus, who deliver[ed them] from the coming wrath" of Satan and Satan's followers.
May you and l also praise and thank God for the "work of faith and labor of love, and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ" that has been given to us through our parents and so many other faith-filled men and women, who to this very day, lead us to Jesus. Like the Thessalonians, we, too, have been given the "Gospel...in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction." That conviction grows as we stand in awe of God each day, pondering the readings of each liturgy or seeking God in the events of our lives as they unfold each day. Through grace, as with the Thessalonians, we are given the choices each day to turn "to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,...Jesus, who delivers [us] from the coming wrath" of Satan and his followers! Every day, God is at work in our lives, delivering us from Satan's lies. How aware are we of this gift of God's love, this concern on God's part, to redirect us to the right path--the path that Jesus modeled for us while here on earth and to this very day.
THANK YOU, JESUS!
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