
{1}1{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}From Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy to the church of 
Thessalonica which is in God the Father and in Christ Jesus, the 
Lord.
May the peace and grace of God be with you.
{R}_{I}2_{/}We give thanks to God at all times for you and remember you 
in our prayers. [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}We constantly recall before God our 
Father the work of your faith, the labors of your love and your 
endurance in waiting for Christ Jesus our Lord.
{I}4_{/}We remember, brothers and sisters, the circumstances of your 
being called. [=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}The gospel we brought you was such not only 
in words. Miracles, Holy Spirit and plenty of everything were 
given to you. You also know how we dealt with you for your sake.
[=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}In return, you became followers of us and of the Lord 
when, on receiving the word, you experienced the joy of the Holy 
Spirit in the midst of great opposition. {R}_{I}7_{/}And you became a 
model for the faithful of Macedonia and Achaia, [=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}since 
from you the word of the Lord spread to Macedonia and Achaia, and 
still farther. The faith you have in God has become news in so 
many places that we need say no more about it. [=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}Others 
tell of how you responded to us and turned from idols to the Lord. 
For you serve the living and true God, [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}and you wait for 
his Son from Heaven whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who frees 
us from impending trial.

{N}THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH OF THESSALONICA{/}

{1}2{/}

[\u0095]_{I}1_{/}You well know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you 
was not in vain. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}We had been ill-treated and insulted in 
Philippi but, trusting in our God, we dared announce to you the 
message of God, and face fresh opposition. {I}3_{/}Our warnings did 
not conceal any error or impure motive, nor did we deceive anyone. 
[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}But as God had entrusted his Gospel to us as to faithful 
ministers, we were anxious to please God who sees the heart, 
rather than human beings. {R}_{I}5_{/}We never pleased you with flattery, 
as you know, nor did we try to earn money, as God knows. 
[=]_{I}6_{/}We did not try to make a name for ourselves among people, 
either with you or anybody else, [=]_{I}7_{/}although we were 
messengers of Christ and could have made our weight felt.
On the contrary, we were gentle with you, as a nursing mother who 
feeds and cuddles her baby. {I}8_{/}And so great is our concern that 
we are ready to give you, as well as the Gospel, even our very 
lives, for you have become very dear to us.
[=]_{I}9_{/}Remember our labor and toil; when we preached the Gospel, 
we worked day and night so as not to be a burden to you. {R}_{I}10_{/}You 
are witnesses with God that we were holy, just and blameless 
toward all of you who now believe. {I}11_{/}We warned each of you as a 
father warns his children; [=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}we encouraged you and urged 
you to adopt a way of life worthy of God who calls you to share 
his own glory and kingdom.
[=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}This is why we never cease giving thanks to God for, on 
receiving our message, you accepted it, not as human teaching, but 
as the word of God. That is what it really is, and as such it is 
at work in you who believe.
[=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}Brothers and sisters, you followed the example of the 
churches of God in Judea, churches of Christ Jesus. For you 
suffered from your compatriots the same trials they suffered from 
the Jews, {R}_{I}15_{/}who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and 
who persecute us. They displease God and harm all people 
[=]_{I}16_{/}when they prevent us from speaking to the pagans and 
trying to save them. By doing so they are heaping up their sins, 
but now Judgment is coming upon them.
{I}17_{/}We are for a time deprived of your presence, but not in our 
heart, and we eagerly long to see you. {R}_{I}18_{/}For we have wanted to 
visit you, and I, Paul, more than once; but Satan prevented us. 
[=]_{R}_{I}19_{/}In fact, who but you are our hope and our joy? Who but 
you will be our glorious crown before Jesus, our Lord, when he 
returns? {I}20_{/}Yes, indeed, you are our glory and our joy.

{N}PAUL'S CONCERN{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}As I could no longer bear it, I decided to go alone to Athens, 
{R}_{I}2_{/}and send you Timothy, our brother and servant of God in the 
Gospel of Christ. I{I}_{/}wanted him to encourage you in the faith and 
strengthen you {I}3_{/}so that none of you might turn back because of 
the trials you are now enduring. You know that such is our 
destiny. [=]_{I}4_{/}I warned you of this when I was there: "We shall 
have to face persecution"; and so it was, as you have seen. 
[=]_{I}5_{/}Therefore I could not stand it any longer and sent Timothy 
to appraise your faith and see if the Tempter had tempted you and 
made our work useless.
[=]_{I}6_{/}But now Timothy has just returned with good news of your 
faith and love. He told us that you remember us kindly and that 
you long to see us as much as we long to see you. {I}7_{/}What a 
consolation for us, brothers and sisters, in the midst of our 
troubles and trials, this faith of yours! {I}8_{/}It is a breath of 
life for us when you stand firm in the Lord. {R}_{I}9_{/}How can we thank 
God enough for all the joy that we feel before God because of you? 
{I}10_{/}Day and night we beg of him to let us see you again, that we 
may complete the instruction of the believers.
{R}_{I}11_{/}May God our Father and Jesus our Lord prepare the way for us 
to visit you. [=]_{I}12_{/}May the Lord increase more and more your 
love for each other and for all people, as he increases our love 
for you. [=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}May he strengthen you interiorly to be holy and 
blameless before God, our Father, on the day that Jesus, our Lord, 
will come with all his saints.

{N}A CALL TO A LIFE OF PURITY AND WORK{/}

{1}4{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}For the rest, brothers, we ask you in the name of 
Jesus, the Lord, and we urge you to live in a way that pleases 
God, just as you have learned from us. This you do, but try to do 
still more. {R}_{I}2_{/}You know the instructions we gave you on behalf 
of the Lord Jesus: [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}the will of God for you is to become 
holy and not to have unlawful sex. 
[=]_{I}4_{/}Let each of you behave towards his wife as a holy and 
respectful husband, {R}_{I}5_{/}rather than being led by lust, as are 
pagans who do not know God. [=]_{I}6_{/}In this matter, let no one 
offend or wrong a brother. The Lord will do justice in all these 
things, as we have warned and shown you. [=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}God has called 
us to live, not in impurity but in holiness, [=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}and those 
who do not heed this instruction disobey, not a human, but God 
himself who gives you his Holy Spirit.
{R}_{I}9_{/}Regarding mutual love, you do not need anyone to write to 
you, because God himself taught you how to love one another. 
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}You already practice it with all the brothers and 
sisters of Macedonia, but I invite you to do more. 
[=]_{I}11_{/}Consider how important it is to live quietly without 
bothering others, to mind your own business, and work with your 
hands, as we have charged you. {I}12_{/}In obeying these rules you 
will win the respect of outsiders and be dependent on no one.

{N}DO NOT GRIEVE AS OTHERS DO{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}13_{/}Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken 
about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those 
who have no hope. {R}_{I}14_{/}We believe that Jesus died and rose; it 
will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring 
them together with Jesus and for his sake.
[=]_{I}15_{/}By the same word of the Lord we assert this: those of us 
who are to be alive at the Lord's coming will not go ahead of 
those who are already asleep. [=]_{I}16_{/}When the command by the 
archangel's voice is given, the Lord himself will come down from 
heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding. Then those who 
have died in the Lord will rise first; [=]_{I}17_{/}as for us who are 
still alive, we will be brought along with them in the clouds to 
meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord 
forever.
{I}18_{/}So, then comfort one another with these words.

{N}YOU ARE CITIZENS OF THE LIGHT{/}

{1}5{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}1_{/}You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay 
and the appointed time for these events. [=]_{I}2_{/}You know that the 
Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. [=]_{I}3_{/}When 
people feel secure and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come 
upon them as the birth pangs of a woman in labor, and they will 
not escape.
{I}4_{/}But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not 
surprise you like a thief. [=]_{I}5_{/}All of you are citizens of the 
light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. 
[=]_{I}6_{/}Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain 
alert and sober.
{I}7_{/}Those who sleep, go to sleep at night, and those who drink, 
get drunk at night. [=]_{I}8_{/}Since we belong to the day, let us be 
sober, let us put on the breastplate of faith and love, and let 
the hope of salvation be our helmet. {R}_{I}9_{/}For God has not willed 
us to be condemned but to win salvation through Christ Jesus our 
Lord. {I}10_{/}He died for us so that we might enter into life 
with him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. 
{I}11_{/}Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, as 
you are doing now.
[=]_{I}12_{/}Brothers and sisters, I want you to be thankful to those 
who labor among you, who lead you in the way of the Lord and also 
reprimand you. [=]_{I}13_{/}Esteem them highly and love them for what 
they are doing. Live at peace among yourselves.
{I}14_{/}We urge you to warn the idle, encourage those who feel 
discouraged, sustain the weak, have patience with everyone. 
[=]_{I}15_{/}See that no one repays evil for evil, but try to do good, 
whether among yourselves or towards others.
{I}16_{/}Rejoice always, {I}17_{/}pray without ceasing {R}_{I}18_{/}and give 
thanks to God at every moment. This is the will of God, your 
vocation as Christians.
{R}_{I}19_{/}Do not quench the Spirit, {R}_{I}20_{/}do not despise the prophets' 
warnings. {I}21_{/}Put everything to the test and hold fast to what is 
good. {I}22_{/}Avoid evil, wherever it may be.
{R}_{I}23_{/}May the God of Peace make you holy and bring you to 
perfection. May you be completely blameless, in spirit, soul and 
body, till the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord; [=]_{I}24_{/}he who 
called you is faithful and will do it.
{I}25_{/}Brothers and sisters, pray for us. {I}26_{/}Greet all the 
brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. {I}27_{/}I order you in the 
name of the Lord that this letter be read to all of them.
{R}_{I}28_{/}May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with you.

