How Do I Love?

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, November 5th, 2023:
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Thessalonians
​2.7-9, 13

Brothers and sisters: Though we might have made demands as Apostles of Christ, we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.

We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, the word of God, which is also at work in you believers.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Saint Paul is writing to a new community in this letter. They are recent converts, whom Paul and those working with him spent time with and preached the Gospel to. This letter is one of encouragement and love. 

One of the greatest signs of love that Paul speaks about in this particular reading is that, when he was with them, he did not allow his presence to be a burden to them. When the apostles traveled and preached, it was expected that the Christian community would support them, feed them, and care for their needs. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he did not permit Christians to support him; instead, he worked (apparently, at his craft of tent-making) so as to pay for his own needs and not “burden” the community.

As I prayed with this passage, I was convicted by a common idea I have: “You owe me.” We live in a world where we have come to believe that we are entitled to certain things. It is true that each of us works a job/ministry, and getting paid for that is important so that we can support ourselves. There is nothing wrong with this — but when I read Paul’s words, I am reminded that I cannot stop loving you (preaching the gospel) because you refuse to give me what I feel I am owed in return (respect, acknowledgment, affirmation, etc.). I am called to preach the Gospel but, if I do it only for those who give me something in return, I am not really preaching the Gospel that God calls me to preach. 

This reading reminds me that my life in Christ comes with inconveniences and challenges, that I am not here for comfort, fame, and fortune. I’m here to live the Gospel and trust in God’s care for me. I am here to live the Gospel and trust in God’s care for those I meet.

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Sr. Teresa MacDonald

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