The letter opens with a standard greeting. Paul included Silvanus and Timothy in his greeting. The letter was addressed to the community at Thessalonica. Paul opened with a blessing to the readers. The blessing imparts grace and peace. God the Father and Jesus give grace and peace. These are the things their gifts to us.

Prayer

Paul proceeded to say he always gives thanks when he mentions the Thessalonians in his prayers. When we pray, there is no need to be eloquent. By the mere mention of a person, we are including them in our prayers.

Prayer is not a matter of words. Jesus said, Do not babble like the pagans do. It is a matter of bringing people to God, mentioning them to God and letting God take care of them. In this case, Paul gives thanks to God for them. This was his prayer for them.

Love

St. Paul then speaks of why he thanks God for the Thessalonians. He spoke of their work of faith. Faith is not a matter of speech. It is shown in works done in love and hope. We do things out of love. Paul said, labor of love. The works require some effort. It is not something that is convenient, but something that requires a giving of self. The reason why we do things is because of our hope in the coming of Jesus. We hope and believe he will come again and our work of faith should be aimed at introducing Jesus to others.

We are loved by God and therefore, chosen by God. This love is given to everyone and available to everyone. Those who respond to this love are chosen by God.

The Good News: The Power of Jesus

St. Paul then speaks of how the good news should be preached, Not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit with much assurance. The good news is not about Laws and rituals. It is not about philosophy or theology. The good news is about the power of Jesus in the Holy Spirit. It is to be preached with conviction. St. Paul proved his preaching by being in solidarity with the Thessalonians.

Preaching the good news requires being imitators of Jesus. It is not only in words, but it should be accompanied by works. Ultimately, it is what we do that counts and not what we say. I need to clarify this though because today in our culture, there is a thinking that we can just do good without faith.

Everything we do should be based on faith. Good works is the result of faith. In the end, believers should be imitators of Christ - being joyful in persecutions. How can this happens? What is joy?

Joy

St. Paul tells us to be imitators of Jesus. If one looks at Jesus, how can one say he was full of joy during his passion? Jesus would be insane if he was smiling and laughing while he was dying on the cross. So joy is more than an emotion. It different from happiness. One can be joyful even in the midst of difficulties and suffering.

I believe joy is the confidence of knowing we are in the Lord and doing his will. One may be happy when one is joyful, but one can still be joyful even if one is not happy.

Works of Charity

Because of the good works of the community, they became examples to those around them. What was their example? They were imitators of St. Paul and his companions and of Jesus. It was their good works based on faith that made them examples to others.

Their faith spread the word not only in neighboring cities, but also in every place where they went. The people actively went out to promote their faith. Our faith is not to be kept. It is to be spread and promoted. Everyone has a responsibility to preach the word of God.

What converted other people? It was not the good works of charity. It was not their works to the poor. It was their attitude towards their pastors AND their repentance from a life of idolatry to a life of faithfulness to God.

So the good works that have to accompany our faith are works that point from other idols to the living and true God. Works of charity should stem from faith. Works for the poor should be the result of our faith in God. It should be our belief in the living and true God that make us do our good works. All these are done with the hope that Jesus will return from heaven and save us from the wrath of God.