CCC Cross Reference:
2 Thes 3:1-13 1577; 2 Thes 3:9 1794; 2 Thes 3:16 385, 463, 2641
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Reading 1
2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18
We instruct you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother
who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked,
so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that
if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
This greeting is in my own hand, Paul’s.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 4-5
R. (1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the Lord,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 23:27-32
Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 2 Thessalonians 3:6 – 18
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we urge you, brothers, to keep away from any of the brothers who refuses to work or to live according to the tradition we passed on to you.
You know how you are supposed to imitate us: now we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we ever have our meals at anyone’s table without paying for them; no, we worked night and day, slaving and straining, so as not to be a burden on any of you. This was not because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves an example for you to follow.
We gave you a rule when we were with you: do not let anyone have any food if he refuses to do any work. May the Lord of peace himself give you peace all the time and in every way. The Lord be with you all.
From me, Paul, these greetings in my own handwriting, which is the mark of genuineness in every letter; this is my own writing. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 127(128):1-2,4-5
O blessed are those who fear the Lord.
O blessed are those who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
You will be happy and prosper.
O blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Indeed thus shall be blessed
the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
all the days of your life!
O blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Gospel Matthew 23:27 – 32
Jesus said, ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day.” So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.’a
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time
From: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, 16-18
Avoiding Idleness. Earning One's Living
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[6] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. [7] For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, [8] we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that might not burden any of you. [9] It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. [10] For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat. [11] For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busy bodies, not doing any work. [12] Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.
Prayer and Farewell Wishes
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[16] Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.
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Commentary:
6. St. Paul wants to prevent the misconduct of some Christians spreading to others; and at the same time he wants to help the transgressors to turn back --which they may do if they are made to feel isolated. Excessive tolerance of irregular behavior does nothing to encourage reform and only helps the spread of permissiveness.
That was the Apostle's usual policy: "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber" (1 Cor 5:10-11).
7-12. Some of the Thessalonians, wrongly thinking that the Parousia was about to happen, had given up working and were living in idleness, minding everyone's business but their own. So the Apostle reminds them all that when he was among them he worked to keep himself and was a burden on no one.
The Second Vatican Council underlines the value of work when it exhorts "Christians, as citizens of both cities, to perform their duties faithfully in the spirit of the Gospel." Far from neglecting earthly responsibilities, they should, as the Council goes on, realize that by their faith they "are bound all the more to fulfill these responsibilities according to the vocation of each one (cf. 2 Thess 3:6-13; Eph 4:28)" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 43).
"For the love of God, for the love of souls, and to live up to our Christian vocation, we must give good example. So as not to give scandal, or to provoke even the faintest suspicion that the children of God are soft and useless, so as not to dis-edify..., you must strive to show an example of balanced justice, to behave properly as responsible people. The farmer who ploughs his field while constantly raising his heart to God, just as much as the carpenter, the blacksmith, the office worker, the academic--all Christians in fact--have to be an example for their colleagues at work, and to be humble about it. Therefore, everyone, in his job, in whatever place he has in society, must feel obliged to make his work God's work, sowing everywhere the peace and joy of the Lord" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 70).
16. "The Lord of peace", or "the God of peace", is a title found in a number of St. Paul's letters (cf. Rom 15:33; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5;23), because Redemption, by wiping out sin, establishes people's friendship with God and with one another. The wish expressed by the Apostle here echoes the greeting Christians normal used with one another, a greeting our Lord himself recommended: "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house' (Lk 10:5). The Jews used and continue to use the same greeting--"Shalom" ( = peace). When a Christian greets someone in this way it should be a sincere expression of his love of God and love of others and not just mere polite well-wishing, hoping people will "enjoy themselves".
Referring to empty, selfish peace of that sort, our Lord said that he had come to bring not peace but a sword (cf. Mt 10:34). He also warned us that the peace he gives is not peace of the type the world gives (cf. Jn 14:27), but a peace which comes from the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and which "passes all understanding" (Phil 4:7). "It is useless to call for exterior calm if there is no calm in men's consciences, in the center of their souls" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 73).
We should therefore always be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph 4;3). If we are, we will be builders of peace and will receive the reward Christ promised when he proclaimed, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Mt 5:9). In this connection Bl. John Paul II said, "Peace is work we have to do; it calls for commitment and solidarity with one another. But it is also (inseparably and above all) something in God's gift: we need to pray for it" ("Address", 8 December 1978).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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