2 Tessalonicenses 3
Augustine of Hippo · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
2 Tessalonicenses 3:1
He also says to the Thessalonians, "For the rest, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run and may be glorified even as among you; that we may be delivered from troublesome and evil men, for not all men have faith." How else could the word of God run and be glorified except by the conversion to the faith of those to whom it is preached, when Paul says to present believers, "Even as among you"? Surely he knows that this is accomplished by him to whom he wishes prayer to be made that this may be so, and also that he may be delivered through their prayers from troublesome and evil men. It is for this reason that he adds, "For not all men have faith," as if to say, "The word of God will not be glorified among all, even though you are praying" because those who were likely to believe were the ones "who were ordained to life everlasting," predestined "to the adoption of children through Jesus Christ to himself" and chosen "in him before the foundation of the world." No one is so unlearned, so carnal, so slow of wit as not to see that God does what he commands us to ask him to do. — LETTERS 217.7.27
2 Tessalonicenses 3:1
With this in mind, dearly beloved, let us always look forward with longing toward our everlasting joy. Let us always pray for fortitude in our temporal labors and trials. Let us offer prayers for one another. Let my prayers be offered for you, and yours for me. And, brothers, do not think that you need my prayers, but that I have no need of yours. We have mutual need of one another's prayers, for those reciprocal prayers are enkindled by charity and—like a sacrifice offered on the altar of piety—are fragrant and pleasing to the Lord. If the apostles used to ask for prayers on their own behalf, how much more does it behoove me to do so? For I am far from being their equal, although I long to follow their footsteps as closely as possible. But I have neither the wisdom to know nor the rashness to say what progress I have made. — SERMONS 13.10
2 Tessalonicenses 3:2
Then, therefore, they afterwards marveled at the fact that they saw him ascending and they rejoiced that he went up to heaven, for the precedence of the Head is the hope of the members. Moreover, they heard the angelic message, "men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus … shall come in the same way as you have seen him going up to heaven." What is the significance of "he will come in the same way"? He will come in that same form, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, "They shall look upon him whom they have pierced." He shall come to men; he shall come as a Man; but he shall come as the God-Man. He shall come as true God and true Man to make men like God. He has ascended as Judge of heaven; he has expressed himself as Herald of heaven. Let us stand justified so that we may not fear the judgment that is to come. As a matter of fact, he did ascend; those who announced it to us witnessed it. The people who did not see it believed; still some incredulous persons mocked, "for not all have faith." — Sermons 265.1
2 Tessalonicenses 3:2
For a man swollen with pride in comparison to another might say, "My faith distinguishes me," or "my justice" or whatever. It is to prevent such ideas that the good teacher asks, "But what do you have that you have not received?" Did you not receive it from him who chose to distinguish you from another? It was he who chose to give you what another did not receive. "But if you have received, why do you glory as if you had not received it?" Now I ask, is the apostle concerned here with anything else than that "He who glories should glory in the Lord"? But nothing is so contrary to this sentiment than for anyone to glory in his own merits as if he and not the grace of God were responsible for them. I refer to that grace that distinguishes the good from the wicked, not one which is common to the good and the wicked. On this premise the grace by which we are living and rational creatures, and thus distinguished from beasts, would be enmeshed in nature. The grace by which the beautiful are distinguished from the ugly, or the intelligent from the stupid, is a grace that perceives nature. But that person whose pride the apostle was trying to restrain was not puffing himself up in comparison to the beasts, nor in comparison to the gifts of nature that might exist even in the worst of men. Rather, he was puffed up because he attributed some good thing which pertained to the morally good life to himself and not to God. Thus, he deserved to hear the rebuke, "For who distinguishes you? Or what do you have that you have not received?" For though the ability to possess faith belongs to our nature, is that also true of the actual possession of faith? "For not all men have faith," although all men have the possibility of having faith. — ON THE PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 1.5.10
2 Tessalonicenses 3:8
Perhaps someone will dare to think or say that the apostle Paul did not attain the perfection of those who, leaving all behind, followed Christ. The reason for entertaining such a thought would be because Paul procured his own substance by his own hands in order that he might not burden anyone of those to whom he was preaching the gospel. Thus the words he says, "I have labored more than all of them," have all been fulfilled, and he added, "Yet not I, but the grace of God with me." We can only ascribe Paul's ability both to preach and support himself financially to the grace of God at work in his mind and body. He neither ceased from preaching the gospel nor did he, as his detractors, support himself financially from the gospel. — TRACTATES ON JOHN 122.3
2 Tessalonicenses 3:8
Of course, there are those who misunderstand the same apostle when he writes, "He who was apt to steal, let him steal no longer; but let him labor, doing good with his hands, that he may have something to give to one who has need." For, when he is ordering such persons to work so efficiently with their hands that they will also have something to bestow on others, his misinterpreters believe that he is going counter to the instruction which the Lord gives when he says, "Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns.… Consider the lilies of the field: They neither toil nor spin." Paul does not seem to have imitated the birds of the air and lilies of the field. He has repeatedly said of himself that he was working with his own hands so as not to burden anyone, and it is written of him that he joined with Aquila because of the similarity of their handicraft, so that they might work together to maintain a livelihood. From these and other such passages of the Scripture it is clear enough that our Lord does not reprove a man for procuring these things in the usual manner. — SERMON ON THE MOUNT 2.17.57
2 Tessalonicenses 3:10
In the first place, we must prove that the blessed apostle Paul wished the servants of God to perform manual labor which would merit a great spiritual reward, and to do this without seeking food and clothing from anybody but to procure these commodities for themselves by their own work. Secondly, we must show that those gospel precepts by which some monks justify not only laziness but even arrogance are not contrary to the direction and example of the apostle. Let us examine the statements made by the apostle prior to this one: "If any man will not work, neither let him eat," and the statements which follow it, so that the meaning which St. Paul intended may be gathered from the setting of the passage. What can be said in reply to this, since, indeed, by his own example he taught what he commanded, lest later someone might be permitted to interpret this with a view to his will and not his charity. For, the Lord had directed that apostle, as preacher of the gospel, as soldier of Christ, as planter of the vineyard, as shepherd of the flock, to live by the Gospel; nevertheless, St. Paul did not accept the payment due him in order to give example to those who wished to exact unmerited compensation. — On the Work of Monks 3.4
2 Tessalonicenses 3:15
It is true that some take the phrase "from your midst" to mean that each one is to expel the wickedness out of oneself in order to be good. But, no matter how it is interpreted, whether that the wicked in the church are checked by the severity of excommunication or whether each one by self-blame and self-discipline drives wickedness out of himself, there can be no misunderstanding of the teaching of the apostle in the passage of Scripture just quoted: we are to refrain from association with brothers who are accused of any of the vices mentioned above, that is, with those who are notoriously scandalous. With what intention and with what charity this merciful severity is to be administered is evidenced not only by his statement, "that his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ," but appears elsewhere even more clearly where he says, "if anyone does not obey our word by this letter, note that man and do not associate with him, that he may be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." — FAITH AND WORKS 2-3
2 Tessalonicenses 3:15
Here it is as though doves are quarreling together. The apostle said, "If anyone fails to obey our word by this letter, mark that person and do not mix with him." There's the quarrel. But notice how it's a quarrel of doves, not of wolves. He immediately added, "And do not regard him as an enemy, but rebuke him as a brother." A dove is loving even when it is beating; a wolf hates even when it is being charming. — SERMONS 64.3