I have a little saying I came up with for this homily, and I want to repeat it a couple of times throughout. The saying is: “End division; mind your mission.” Say that after me: end division; mind your mission. I’m doing that because I might forget. End division; mind your mission.
St. Paul, in the second reading, realizes as he writes to the Thessalonians that there is disorderly conduct among them—he names that there is division in the community. Then he explains why: some people, he says—without pointing fingers—are not doing their work quietly. Instead, they are meddling in other people’s work. They’re talking about other people rather than doing their own work silently. So Paul is urging them to end division; mind your mission.
I think one of the clearest examples of a meddler, someone who gets into other people’s business and causes division, is from *Everybody Loves Raymond.* Who’s the number one meddler on that show? Marie. About 90% of those episodes happen because Marie meddles in the family, and it causes all kinds of division. It’s funny, right? Things are usually funny because they’re true. We’ve all experienced people meddling. And St. Paul wants us to realize that sometimes *we* are the ones meddling—sometimes we spend too much time talking about other people.
One episode features little Michael, Ray’s son. It’s story time at school, and the kids are supposed to write their own stories. The whole family is there. A couple of kids go first, and their stories are sweet and cute. Then Michael gets up, holds up his book, and the title is *The Angry Family.* Each page describes how angry his family is: the mother fights with the mother‑in‑law, Ray fights with his wife, the brother steps in, the grandfather steps in. The parents are horrified as this angry family comes to life in front of them.
They’re encouraged to talk to their priest, who works at the school. He sits down with the family, clearly thinking, “This is one more thing I don’t want to deal with.” But as they start talking, they begin to bicker right in front of him. Deborah starts talking about her mother‑in‑law always getting involved. Ray doesn’t stand up for her. Ray responds. The brother jumps in. The grandfather jumps in. And right before the priest’s eyes, the family becomes the angry family. He realizes why—because they’re meddling. And the solution to meddling is what? End division; mind your mission.
A lot of the tension in our own families, communities, marriages, parenting, the parish, and the larger world exists because people aren’t minding their own mission—and because of that, they cause division.
Many recovery groups have helpful phrases. One is: “Stay in your own lane.” That means: worry about the lane ahead of you; don’t get involved in someone else’s. Another phrase is: “Keep your side of the street clean.” Don’t worry about the neighbor’s side—keep *yours* clean.
What this really means is that the most important thing in our spiritual lives is to mind our mission. God has given each one of us a mission. Think about the end of your life. If you were to die tomorrow, would you have fulfilled your mission? Do you even know what your mission is? God has given each and every one of us a mission. And the most important thing we can do to grow in holiness is to discover: “God, what is the mission You have given to me?”
When we meddle in other people’s missions—telling them how to do their work—we fall into the trap Paul is warning us about. Instead of bringing unity, we bring disorder. Paul wants us to be aware that each of us is to labor, to toil in our own mission, and to do so quietly—not looking for affirmation. Know what you’re supposed to do, and stay focused on it.
So if you want to end the division in your own heart, what do you do? End division; mind your mission. If you want unity in your family, what do you do? End division; mind your mission. If you want to get along with your mother‑in‑law or your kids, what do you do? End division; mind your mission. If you want unity in this parish, what do we do? End division; mind your mission.
There will be opportunities throughout the week where this will matter—times when you think, “I can’t stand this person.” What usually happens? First, you can’t stand this *one* person. Then you can’t stand *that* person. Then you can’t stand *these* people. Before you know it, you’re giving so much time and energy to other people and their missions that they take up space in your head. And our energy is limited.
St. Paul wants us to know: focus on your mission. Do so quietly. Do so without looking at, condemning, correcting, or lecturing other people on how they should do *their* mission. The best thing we can do when we experience tension in life is simple:
End division; mind your mission.
