worthy

In the Second Letter to the Thessalonians 1:11—2:2 (NABRE), Paul prays that God may make the Thessalonians worthy of their calling. This is quite a significant ask. In our society where we so often feed a sense of entitlement to whatever it is that we want, any sense of worthiness can easily be muddied or obscured.

The Greek word translated as worthy in this passage is from the root ἄξιος (axios), which refers to things having equal weight or counterbalancing. Before digital scales as an easy means of determining weight or value, balance scales determined the relative worth of goods and currency. This root concept was used when things had the same weight and therefor the same value. What was on one side was worth the same as what was on the other side.

So what does worthiness mean in this context? Paul is asking that the Thessalonians—and by extension all Christians—be made worthy of the call of Christ, the call that extends from Jesus’ Incarnation, Passion, death, and Resurrection. We are called in our lives to be of equal weight or value to Jesus himself.

related topic: goodness; righteousness; zeal

you also may like our free Lenten study of Jesus’ Passion (digital only)
Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering is a five-lesson Catholic Bible study offering an in-depth look at the biblical foundations of the movie The Passion of the Christ. This revised study, which has been granted an imprimatur, contains all of the original material of the 2004 edition as well as many new features in an improved, reader-friendly format. Click on the book’s cover to view the introduction. Free digital lessons of Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering are available on the website during Lent.

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