St. Paul wrote two letters to the church in Thessalonica. It seems that there was a great deal of upset in that community because of speculation about the Second Coming of Jesus (the first century equivalent of Left Behind.) St. Paul urges them to stop fretting about tomorrow and live in the present tense. Don’t be “shaken or alarmed” but “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught.” The Apostle fears that they will miss the grace of the moment if they are obsessed about what might happen tomorrow. Living the traditions that they received as Christians are sufficient to live a happy and holy life… and leave the rest in the hands of God.
