St. Paul begins his second letter to the Thessalonians as he frequently does — with a prayer of gratitude. ‘We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters.” It is so easy to notice what we are missing, what we lack, that we can take for granted what we have: a community to share life with. St. Paul reminds us to make giving thanks our starting point in any discussion. He appends to that a prayer that we strive to continue to grow. “We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling.” While we can and must be grateful for what is, we must also heed the call to become more, to follow more closely in the footsteps of Jesus. For, as Jesus himself warns us in pronouncing “woes” up the scribes and pharisees, there is a danger that we follow God simply by observing the externals and don’t develop the change of heart that the Gospel requires.
