The Heart of St. Paul
Christians are a people of action. While they know that this world is a passing one and that Christ will one day return in glory, that does not give them an excuse to do nothing and just wait for Jesus to come. St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians of this in his Second Letter: “For even when we were with you we gave you this command: If one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and earn their own living. (2Thess 3:10-12)
It seems to St. Paul that awaiting the return of the Lord does not give Christians the excuse to be lazy. They need to provide for themselves as well as the needs of others. They need to be mindful of the fact that while they await the coming of Christ, they must work and serve people in the world. They are to serve one another actively while they await Christ’s return. This work is both spiritual and corporal. It involves being in this world and getting ready for the world to come. This is the kind of work that occupies their minds with the things of God and their bodies with providing with their own material needs and those of others, especially the poor.
Idleness can lead to boredom and boredom can lead to mischief and maybe even sin. Paul wishes to remind the Thessalonians that the goal is not simply to wait around for Christ to come, but rather to share him with others in the world right now, so that when he comes, he will see us hard at work, being the leaven of the Kingdom in the world.
