St. Paul tackles two topics that many are afraid to talk about: holiness and purity. He begins by telling the Thessalonians that he and the others have taught them how to please God. That phrase, “… how to conduct yourself to please God,” is a great reminder that we find our meaning, direction, peace, and joy when we put pleasing God first and not ourselves or others first.
Our Call to Holiness
St. Paul then makes it clear that the will of God is that we are holy men and women, boys and girls. Now, we might think that holiness is attained only by the saints or just a tiny percentage of people like your grandmother, my great-aunt, Sister Jeanne Marie, or perhaps your beloved pastor, like Father Heery from Sacred Heart in North Quincy.
And, while it’s true that holiness is not easy to attain, God calls all of us to holiness, to His way of living. St. Paul then speaks of one part of holy living, and that is to refrain from immorality.
St. Paul's Message Still Relevant Today
Now, just to give a little context, the pagan culture of the Greek Christians of Thessalonica had a lot in common with our current culture with regard to a lack of sexual morality.
This is why St. Paul is telling the men to acquire wives in holiness and honor. He goes on to say, don’t give into lustful passion or take advantage or exploit a brother or a sister. Boy, do we need to hear St. Paul in every home, school, church, and social group.
A friend of mine, a husband and Dad, reminded me of how important our parents and extended family were in teaching us about following God’s way and how it related to honoring the family name. He also spoke about how his daughters, now in their early 20s, grew up in a world that bombarded them with sexual images and content in TV, movies, and internet videos, as well as news about the sexual misconduct of famous people and immodest clothing styles that became the norm.
Today’s gospel is a fitting reminder of how we need to be like the wise virgins, the ones who knew how to prepare and were vigilant in watching for the bridegroom, who is Jesus. That’s what we need to be… wise to the world we live in and, I’d also add, honest and discerning about our own temptation to lust or impurity.
Our Decisions Make Us Holy
For God calls us to be pure in how we look at others, how we think of others, what we write, how we speak, and what we consume for entertainment: music, books, movies, videos, etc. We need to do what Father Bill Kelly taught us in seminary … just like in the baseball outfield; there is a warning track to prevent the outfielders from crashing into the wall; we need to know where our metaphorical warning tracks are when it comes to temptation to sin.
If you can, sometime today, try to remember a time when you felt holy. Either long ago at your first Communion or more recently on a retreat, after Confession or a Holy Hour, that is what God calls us to be not just in those moments but as we walk through the grocery store, surf the net, and speak about others … and those people we consider holy, are what God calls us to be, not just for ourselves but also for our families who look to us as an example.
May God bless you and your families this holy day!
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