1 Thes 1:1-5, 8-10 / Matthew 23:13-22
It can be quite amazing to think about the influence and power we can have over people.
What we say and what we do can influence others, be it for better or for worse.
And more often than not we see that power being used for the worse.
In the gospel, Jesus gave an example of how others can be adversely affected by our bad influence.
He said to the scribes and Pharisees: You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men's faces, neither going in yourself nor allowing others to go in who want to. You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.
Those are very grave and shocking words but nonetheless it shows the reality of the devastating power and influence that we can have over others.
But on the other hand, we are also capable of influencing others to rise above the sludge of this world and to reach for heaven.
In the 1st reading, we heard how St. Paul gave thanks to God for the community at Thessalonika.
But it was he who preached to them the Good News and helped them to break from idolatry, convert to God and become servants of the true and living God. They showed their faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So we have a choice: we can be like the scribes and Pharisees and have a devastating power and influence over others or we can be like St. Paul who was an instrument of God's saving grace for the Thessalonians.
Yes, we can choose, and let us pray that we will choose to be signs that will point others towards heaven.