Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)
The “Gospel of God” in today’s first reading may sound
strange, but St. Paul frequently uses the term.
Most think of the gospels as “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” But Paul very likely never saw any of these
writings. For Paul, the “Gospel of God” is
the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation is not a reward for the brave or a status that might
be bought. It is one’s acceptance of
forgiveness for his or her sins by means of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection
from the dead. The acceptance, however, cannot
be lip-service, but a commitment on the person’s part to die to sin and to live
a new life of holiness and grace.
In the reading Paul seems to promote himself by telling how he
suffered in preaching the gospel. As he
makes clear, however, he never sought to win human favor. He wants the Thessalonians (and us as well) to
realize that by submitting oneself in faith he or she will grow closer to God
and to God’s people.
