Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11
Luke 4:31-37
Reflection:
The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of those of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.
-First line of Gaudium et Spes
Near the end of Vatican Council II, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (“Gaudium et Spes”) was promulgated. It was the very first constitution published by a Church Council to address the entire world. This was a commitment by the Church to address contemporary political, social, cultural, and economic situations, as well as the inner spiritual well-being of individuals. In order to do this, the Church made a commitment to “read the signs of the times”. And a sociological reading is not enough—prayerful discernment to identify how the Spirit is working through human experiences and the wider world is needed before we respond as a community.
Today’s first reading is a letter that St. Paul wrote to encourage the new Thessalonian Christians. He reminded them they had to address the signs of their times, reassuring them that no misfortune can separate them from Christ, because they are “children of the light”. And he tells them how to do it: “stay alert and sober” for God’s presence in their times and seasons. He also exhorted them to: “encourage one another and build one another up”, for we do not do this alone, but as part of a community.
In recent years, members of Holy Cross Province wrote down what it means to be a Passionist today, prayerfully reflecting on the rule that St. Paul of the Cross wrote in 1721, and the Constitutions appended in 1984. Under the “community” section in the Passionist Way book, we find yet another expression of what St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 51 AD, and the Second Vatican Council’s promulgation to the world in 1965:
“Guided by the Spirit and in response to the signs of our times, we who are in the Passionist Family acknowledge and welcome new forms and models of how the Passionist Way can be lived in community among both vowed and lay. The response to the Spirit may call us to transcend boundaries we have become accustomed to over time. Visioning and co-creating new forms of living the Passionist Way together as the Passionist Family are welcomed with good stewardship, dialogue, and commitment to our shared Passionist Charism.”
Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Passionist Solidarity Network, and at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.