A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians 1:11-2:2

Brothers and sisters: We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling

and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.

REFLECTION:

It has been a period of confusion and alarm in the world and the Church for some. For those of us who follow varying media news outlets - there are many news stories which may cause us confusion, distress, and even scandal, particularly those related to the universal Church and issues of doctrine and traditional disciplines of the Church.

We can easily be caught up in drama and spread a spirit of disunity, which often begin with genuine concern. Times like these, the Lord reminds us in today’s Gospels that the one most helpful and constructive action we can make at the service of the Church is our own conversion; that is, to continually re-examine our lives and give over to God our sins and weaknesses. This is the best channel in our control which we can effect change if we are serious about renewing the Church.

St Francis of Assisi lived in a time of no less dramas, scandals and problems in the Church. His conversion was not a singular event but a whole life time of recognising his own sins and failures and allowing the Lord to renew him how He wants- St Francis spent his latter years preaching the Gospel, fidelity to the Church and the Pope.

Let us learn from his example for our times. That we may re-commit ourselves to love of the Church, Her Vicar, and Her bishops and priests by seeking our own conversion, so that the Spirit of the Lord - which is unity - may abide in us.