"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it" ( Thessalonians 5:16-24)
Today's reading from 1Thessalonians furthers this idea of being Holy people as we continue to follow Christ. We are reminded to "always rejoice"..this seems rather easy to do when there are many things in front of us and in our lives to rejoice about. However, we are not told to rejoice when things are great, we are called to rejoice always! This passage always reminds me of the words once spoken by our Blessed Mother Theresa "Just keep the joy of Jesus as your strength. Be happy and at peace. Accept whatever he gives- and give whatever he takes with a big smile. You belong to him." The ways in which our Lord takes and gives to each of us may be very different. Our gains and our losses are unique to us, our lives, and our experiences. Despite these differences the one constant thing through each of our circumstances is the Lord and his Love. We must strive to live as we are called to live and seek ways to always rejoice and give thanks no matter what we are going through. It is in doing this that we will truly grow in faith and in our relationship with God. When we begin to see God in all things, to give thanks, and to pray without ceasing, we will come to recognize how blessed we really are. may we always rejoice, pray, and give thanks to our Lord. (C.C.)