Today’s second reading is excerpted from the extended greeting at the beginning of the first letter to the Thessalonians.  St. Paul had received news that the church at Thessaloniki was flourishing; his congratulatory greeting was intended to encourage them to continue to grow in faith.

Paul’s message of consolation provides insight into his preaching, as well.  He wrote that the Thessalonians had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thes 1:9-10)

This brief statement is a summary of the message Paul preached when he evangelized the Thessalonians.  The gentile converts in Thessaloniki abandoned their pagan idolatry and put their trust in God’s promise of salvation through the death of Jesus.  The cause and hope of their conversion was their desire to be delivered from “the coming wrath.” (1 Thes 1:10)

The first two elements of Paul’s evangelization, turning to God from idols and trusting in the promise of deliverance, are easy enough to understand; the Church still uses this sort of language in its teaching and sacramental celebrations.  The life of faith for us is no different than it was for the Thessalonians; it is constituted by turning away from idols and turning toward God.

The third element of Paul’s preaching, however, is a bit more nebulous than the first two.  The reference to “the coming wrath” might be interpreted in multiple ways.

There were numerous critiques of the lax morals of the ancient Roman Empire; many of these critiques came from Roman citizens who lamented the decline in social cohesion that resulted from the Empire’s expansion.  Tacitus, for example, explained in detail how the absolute power wielded by the Caesars led to widespread corruption, deviant behavior, violence, and nepotism.  For Tacitus, “the coming wrath” could have meant the predictable recurrence of injustice and oppression under a despot’s rule.

Alternatively, today’s religious fundamentalists might interpret “the coming wrath” as confirmation of their fears that western society is fast approaching a day of reckoning on which God will destroy all people who don’t share their disparaging opinion of human nature.  I prefer to interpret Paul’s expansive reference to “the coming wrath” in its most expansive sense.

Clearly, “the coming wrath” is a reference to Late Second Temple Judaism’s expectation that, after a period of tribulation, the Messiah would usher in a new age of peace and faithfulness.  The first generations of Jesus’ disciples embraced this expectation inherited from Judaism.

The Thessalonians believed that the authenticity of all people’s faith would be tested by future events.  Some would survive this period of trial and be rewarded by God; others would not survive with their faith intact.  The “coming wrath” referred both to the period of tribulation and to the consequences faced by those whose faith was too weak to withstand the test.

Every disciple of Jesus has experienced tests of faith, and there is a certain (metaphorical) wrathfulness that is associated with trials and tribulations – in the sense that no one wants to struggle and face the possibility of failure.  For those whose faith is insufficient to withstand the unavoidable challenges life poses, there is a worse experience of wrath – the disappointment, resentment, and despair that result from falling away from the path of righteousness.

These two experiences of “the coming wrath” still face the baptized today; all will suffer temptation, and some will suffer the consequences of falling to temptation.  Although the language of “the coming wrath” might be unfamiliar to us, the experience is familiar to all.  Avoiding the consequences of faithlessness remains a compelling reason to turn to God from idolatry, and idolatry remains a compelling temptation.

The idols worshiped by the Thessalonians are known by different names today, but their identity remains the same.  St. Paul’s converts recognized and rejected the temptations to power, notoriety, injustice, discrimination, and self-indulgence; in doing so, they spared themselves the suffering that necessarily results from a sinful life.

Anyone, if asked, would say that they would prefer not to suffer “the coming wrath.”  Not all, however, choose to turn from idols to God because not all recognize the presence of sin in their lives.  Today’s first reading provides guidance to help us recognize idolatry in our lives: any choice or action that lacks compassion, especially compassion for the powerless, is a sign of “the coming wrath” incurred by the merciless.

In another letter to a fledgling church, Paul wrote that “now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2)  If you prefer the presence of God to the presence of wrath, the preaching of St. Paul is an invitation to identify the idols that surround you, to reject them, to turn wholeheartedly to God, and to do so now, today.