Faith, Love, and Perseverance in the Face of Persecution
August 26, 2024 - Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12
After a long journey with the prophets, we are now moving to the New Testament to listen to excerpts from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. According to ancient tradition, this letter was written shortly after the first letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 51 AD while Paul was in Corinth. Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, while Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. These two cities were among the first to be evangelized by Paul in Europe.
Paul preached in Thessalonica either at the end of 49 or the beginning of 50 AD, and his proclamation of the Gospel fell on good soil. However, his success stirred jealousy among the powerful Jewish community, forcing him to leave the city, and the newly established community faced harsh treatment. This pattern of jealousy and persecution has been repeated throughout history. For example, the successful proclamation of the Gospel in Persia before Islam caused the Shah and Zoroastrian priests to kill many bishops, priests, and laity of the Church of the East. Right after the death of St. Francis Xavier, SJ, the rulers of Japan began a massive persecution of the growing Christian population. Unfortunately, we also have examples of Christians persecuting dissident religious groups.
Since Paul spent only a few weeks in Thessalonica, he was not able to explain thoroughly the mystery of faith. He laid the foundation—the mystery of Christ. But there was no time to go into details, and so the Thessalonians had many questions. One among them was a question that still occupies us today: the second coming of Christ. They wanted to know when He would come and how. The answer to that question affected their way of life.
Paul begins his letter by giving thanks to God for the growing faith and love of the Thessalonian Christians. If we add hope, we have the three theological virtues that are at the heart of Christian religiosity. These virtues are God's gift to us on our journey to holiness—the perfection of charity. Biblical faith means trust in God's guidance and obedience to His commandments. Biblical hope means patiently awaiting the incredible promises of God. Biblical love means placing God and other people, including our enemies, at the center of our lives. Life is not about "me" but about "Him" and "them." Love strips us of selfishness and egoism.
Paul had an interesting understanding of persecutions. He saw them as a sign of God's incoming judgment. We find a similar connection between persecution and judgment in the writings of Peter. Saint Peter stated that God's judgment needs to begin with God’s household. Thus, persecution and trials should be seen as a test of our faith. Are we ready and willing to give up everything, even our lives, for the sake of our faith that is more precious than gold? When Jesus spoke of judgment, He said: "This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil" (John 3:19).
Paul prays for those he brought to faith in Christ. He knows that the journey of faith is filled with trials and challenges. From his Jewish upbringing, he knows that from those who left Egypt, only two made it into the Promised Land. Trials and persecution can break faith. That is why he prays that God brings the efforts of their faith to fulfillment. Every Christian who perseveres in their faith until the end brings glory to Christ's name. That is how Peter and Paul, and many other Christians have brought glory to Jesus' name: they persevered until the end and reached the perfection of charity by offering their lives for Christ and His Gospel.