1st Advent Sunday (C)

1 Thess 3:12 - 4:2

1Thessalonians 3:12 May the Lord make you grow and abound in love among yourselves and toward everyone, as ours abounds for you,

1Thessalonians 3:13 that your hearts may be made firm and blameless in holiness before God our Father at the time of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

"May the Lord make you grow and abound in love among yourselves and towards all, as ours abounds for you."

Paul addresses a request to the Kyrios, a word that refers to Jesus. The content of the prayer concerns the full and abundant growth of love both in mutual relations within the community, and outside towards all; only an 'all-encompassing' love allows one to go peacefully towards the Lord. Paul does not pray for just enough love, but for abundant love, because little love is still not love.

In this prayer, which is actually quite simple, several truths are contained. The Lord must cause the Thessalonians to grow in love. Love is not a static reality, it is dynamic. It is like a tree that begins its life as a tiny twig of grass and then becomes a tall, sturdy plant, extending its branches in every direction. Paul wants for the Thessalonians that their love grows, that it does not remain small, stunted, insignificant, almost invisible.

Every Christian has a duty to grow in love, because that is his or her calling. Growth then must be visible, not only to the Lord, but also to men. As love grows, so do the fruits. Paul wants there to be no downtime in love, both in terms of growth and fruitfulness. This too is a commitment that the Christian must make. Never must he grow weary in producing fruits of love. Only then will he be credible in his Christianity. Growing and abounding in love is the hallmark of the Christian. Without this sign, no one will believe in his testimony.

Another characteristic of Christian love is this: it is directed towards all. Love, the Christian, gives it not only to those who believe, but also to those who do not believe. In love, he makes no distinction. Everyone is the object of his love, because everyone is the object of salvation from God.

Finally, and this is the last truth contained in this prayer, Paul sets before the Thessalonians his own love. Theirs must be like his. As he loves the Thessalonians, so they must love each other. His is a love of truth, of righteousness, of affection, of devotion, of suffering, of the will to salvation, of the gift of the gospel, of patience, of mercy, of forbearance, and of every other virtue.

"To make your hearts firm and blameless in holiness, before God our Father, at the time of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

The request concerns the strengthening of believers in their personal and profound sphere: 'to make your hearts firm and blameless in holiness'. Irreproachable means to be whole, it is the integrity required to "stand before God our Father". Love welds our hearts to Christ's and makes them one. The more we grow and abound in love, the more Christ's heart and ours become one heart. But if we become one heart with Christ, we also become one mission, one sacrifice, one worship and glorification of the Father. Paul sees in love the way to holiness and perseverance. Whoever wants to progress, whoever does not want to retreat from faith in Christ, must grow and abound in love, must make his life a sacrifice of love, a pure and holy oblation for our God and Father.

Whoever does not love, falls, loses himself, has no strength, because the nourishment of faith is love, as also of truth, of justice, of holiness, of every other virtue. He who truly loves nourishes his spirit. His spirit nourished by love becomes robust, strong, irreproachable, invincible. No one will ever be able to overcome a heart that loves, because love will be in him the element that gives all strength to his will so that it perseveres to the end.

"At the time of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints". Here we have an eschatological orientation. The coming of the Lord Jesus must always be on the horizon. "With all his saints" is a phrase taken from the prophet Zechariah (Zech 14:5): "Then shall the Lord my God come, and with him all his saints". In Zechariah's text, the saints - in Hebrew qedoshim - can be either the angels who assist the Lord, or the risen righteous. When Paul uses the word saints in his letters - hagioi - in the plural, he means Christians.

It seems likely to us, therefore, that Paul means to speak of the one and the other, because the one and the other will form the court of the divine Judge, and the saints will also judge the world. In other words, Christians live in expectation of the Lord Jesus, who comes not only with his angels, but also surrounded by all the risen righteous who are associated with his glory. The Apostle's wish is that the Thessalonians will always be saints, so that one day they will be able to share with other saints the glory of accompanying the supreme Judge in the judgement he will come to pronounce on the world.

Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books

- Revelation - exegetical commentary

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers - Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

Catholics and Protestants compared - In defence of the faith

(Buyable on Amazon)

103 Last modified on Monday, 25 November 2024 21:34

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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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