“He has called you to possess the glory of Christ”

St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is meant to encourage them in the trials that they face.  He reminds them to not be alarmed or shaken by statements that the end was near.  We live in a time that seems to point to an end.  As the early Thessalonians, our hearts can be shaken to the core.  We may wonder if what we pour out day after day is worth it. St. Paul, nonetheless, reminds us that we are the Father’s beloved.  We have been given “everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace.”  We are only asked to trust that all is in His hands.  As Pope Francis has said, “Hope [is] that humble virtue which flows under the water of life…so we do not lose that desire to find God.”