Memorial of Saint Rose of Lima

Lectionary: 423

For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

Saint Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest document of the New Testament. Although the gospels give us powerful narratives about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, they were written several years after Saint Paul's epistles. The Apostle's interest here was not to tell them about the Lord, for he has done that in person; it was to encourage them to keep the faith that was already founded on a firm foundation, which consisted of 1) the word they had heard from him, 2) his personal integrity, and 3) the powerful affirmation of the Holy Spirit. 

Because they were honest people who had tried to live by the ordinary, pagan standards of a good life, the Spirit could affirm Saint Paul's teaching. As the Prophet Isaiah had said many centuries before:

Yes, people of Zion, dwelling in Jerusalem,
you shall no longer weep;
He will be most gracious to you when you cry out;
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you bread in adversity
and water in affliction.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
And your ears shall hear a word behind you:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or the left.
You shall defile your silver-plated idols
and your gold-covered images;
You shall throw them away like filthy rags,
you shall say, “Get out!”

This earliest Christian document celebrates the joy of the Gospel as Saint Paul shared it with his people. They had suffered loss of standing in the community and financial setbacks. Some might have endured public humiliation and even physical assaults for their courage. But no one could take their joy from them, for the Spirit continued to assure them, "This is the way; walk in it.