A Living and True God

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, October 29th, 2023:
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Thessalonians
1:5c–10

Brothers and sisters: You know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Have you visited someone’s home and noticed a plant in the corner that has some pretty flowers on it? You go closer and touch them, only to realize that they do not feel real nor do they emanate a fragrance. The beautiful plant is a fake! On the other hand, what does it mean when a plant blooms fragrant, supple flowers? The plant is alive; living and true. Our God is a living and true God. He is tangible and fragrant and real.

It is this living and true God who responded to the cries of His children by bringing them out of Egypt. But what did His children do? Like teenagers, they grumbled about their Father and did what He told them not to do by worshipping a golden calf. Nevertheless this living and true God forgave their stubborn behaviour and blessed them anyway. However, humanity moved further and further away from God. They used the Law of Moses to hurt and judge one another. 

After all this, what did God do? He sent His Only Son to show them a true and living embodiment of His love. Love Himself came down from heaven: Jesus, truly God and truly a human being with skin and bones. Though a few of these obstinate children followed Him for three years, they were largely unwilling or unable to stand up for Him when the majority revolted and demanded that Jesus be crucified.

After His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead and manifested that He was God indeed, and sent the Holy Spirit to give these obstinate children the power to themselves become children of God. St. Paul miraculously came to believe in Him when he encountered this living and true God on the road to Damascus. Paul went to various places to proclaim the truth of Jesus. In the excerpt from 1 Thessalonians that we read today, St. Paul is commending the Thessalonians for becoming “imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” Like the Thessalonians, there are millions of Christians who have been persecuted for their belief in Jesus Christ. St. Paul salutes these believers for their service to “a living and true God” and exhorts everyone who reads his letter to be an “imitator” of Christ. 

Over 2000 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there have been millions of human beings who have been imitators of Him, and also millions who walked away from the Truth. At times, we, like those stubborn early followers of God, can deny reality, can push away or “cancel” anything that doesn’t sit right with us, can drown out the Truth with lies, can deny the theology built into our bodies and seek to change and modify intrinsic details of our existence. And the only thing that can save us now, is “Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.” 

Just like the “fake” plant in the corner, our lives will be devoid of life and fragrance if we cut ourselves off from the source of life, Jesus Christ. Maybe it’s time for each one of us to examine ourselves and to figure out: how much of the stubborn Israelites and how much of the transformed St. Paul dwells in me? 

Heavenly Father, I thank You for helping me to strive to be an imitator of You. Help me to never distance myself from You who are the true and living God. Help me reach out to my fellow humans in mercy and compassion. Help me treat them like You would. Help me not to seek to cancel or judge them, but instead help me to bring You to them through my words, actions, and reactions. I ask all of this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. 




Rebecca Dmello

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