children of the day - 22nd week tuesday 2015

Today we read for the last time from the First letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.   Paul wrote the Thessalonians in part because of their anxiety about the second coming of Christ or what the letter calls “the day of the Lord.”  Just as in our time there are people who are fond of putting a date on the second coming of the Lord despite repeated warnings from Jesus himself that nobody knows the day or the hour, not even Jesus, not even the angels know, but only the Father.  This disturbance could have also happened in Thessalonica and people were confused, people were afraid and they have a lot of questions as to what will happen.  So Paul had to explain to them that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night and like labor pains upon a pregnant woman – it is sudden, it comes when we least expect.  And Paul to further encourage the Christians pointed out that a Christian, a believer should not be afraid for after all we are children of the light.  We are not in darkness, we are no longer in the night. We are children of the day.

 In the Hebrew language when a person is described as the ‘son of’, or the child of a particular quality it means that that person is characterised by that quality.  What does St. Paul mean then in calling us Children of the day and not of the night, living in the light and not in darkness?

First.  Night is for sleep – it means an insensitivity to what is happening around you – tulog.  One cannot see anymore, one cannot perceive, one is not aware, one cannot feel anymore kay man tulog gani.  So one lives life nga daw wala balatyagon, wala igtalupangod sa nagakalatabo sa palibot kag sa kabuhi sang iban.  A Christian is not a child of the night because he lives not primarily for himself but for others.  He is not asleep but awake to what is happening around him.

Second, night St. Paul said, ang gab-i is also the time for drunkards to get drunk, under cover of darkness it is also the time for clandestine works and vices.  It is the time for crime.  Even Judas had to betray the Lord when it was already dark so that he can put into action his wicked plans under the cover of darkness.  What are things done under the cover of darkness?  They are shady deals, wicked plans, shameful acts, crimes that need to be hidden lest they become known, lest somebody sees.  No St. Paul said we should not be afraid or anxious of Christ coming because we live in the light, we are children of the day.  Kon ano man ang ginabuhat ko indi kinahanglan tagu-on kay bisan pa may makakita, bisan pa may makabati, even if it becomes known, I am not afraid, and it is not something to be ashamed of.

We are children of the day.  We live as in daylight.  Because we are children of the light.