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Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time 2 Thessalonians 3:6–10, 16–18
From the beginning, the Christian community was marked by sharing.
Jesus and his disciples were supported by women who gave from their own means. In Jerusalem, the first believers shared what they had, so that no one would be in need. Later, Paul organized collections from wealthier communities for poorer Christians in Jerusalem.
The Church was learning to live as one body.
What one member had could serve another. What one community possessed could help another.
This was not charity from above. It was communion.
But every community has problems. The early Church had them too.
Some were neglected. Some were dishonest. Some abused the generosity of others.
In Thessalonica, some refused to work although they were able.
Perhaps they thought:
If the Lord is coming soon, why work? If the end is near, why build anything? If history is almost over, why carry ordinary duties?
Paul answers sharply:
If anyone is unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
This sentence must be read carefully.
Paul is not speaking about children, the sick, the elderly, the disabled, or those who cannot find work. The Church must care for them.
Paul speaks about those who can work, but refuse.
Those who take from the community, but do not contribute to it.
Paul himself gives the example.
He preached the Gospel. He had the right to receive support from the community. But in Thessalonica, he worked with his own hands, so that he would not become a burden to anyone.
Paul also waited for Christ. Paul also believed the Lord would come.
But waiting for Christ did not make him idle. It made him faithful.
This is the central point:
Christian hope does not cancel ordinary responsibility. It turns responsibility into love.
We work not only to survive.
We work because others depend on us. We work for our family, for the community, for society, and for those who will come after us.
Saint John Paul II taught that work has dignity. Through work, we share in God’s creative action. Through the hardship of work, we can also be united to the Crucified Christ.
But work can also be abused.
It can become exploitation. It can become slavery. It can become worship of productivity.
So what shall we do?
No need for big speeches.
The Lord will come.
But until he comes, bread must still be baked, children cared for, the sick visited, the poor supported, the Gospel preached, and the community built.
So today, choose one ordinary task.
Do it not only because it must be done. Do it as an act of love.
In Christ, even ordinary work can become service. Even ordinary work can become prayer. Even ordinary work can become part of God’s kingdom.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
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New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
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the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
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