In today’s first reading we hear Paul giving thanks for the faith, hope, and love of the Thessalonian community:
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father.”
Thessalonians is not only Paul’s first letter to the church of Thessalonica but also the first letter he wrote. It is therefore the earliest writing in the New Testament. Paul wrote this letter in the early 50’s. The first Gospel, Mark, was not written until 70 AD and Matthew and Luke in the mid 80’s, John in the 90’s. So, when Paul talks about “Gospel” in this letter he cannot mean the written Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John: “For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” The Gospel that Paul preached centered on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the tradition he received and handed on to the Thessalonians through his preaching.
“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Paul recognizes that when he preached this Gospel it was not his own ability or eloquence at work but the power of the holy Spirit: “For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and with much conviction.” Paul in his last letter to the Romans speaks of the power of the Gospel: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). This same powerful word is at work every time we hear the Gospel proclaimed. The power is at work in the hearts of each of us to form us into the Body of Christ and to show forth our faith, hope and love in our daily lives. So, in our prayers today, “We give thanks to God always for all of you…unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father.”
Image: “St. Paul Preaching” by bobosh_t is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.