GOD'S KINGDOM IS IMMINENT
May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
The core of the
Gospel message is quite simple: the kingdom of God is imminent! What is this
kingdom? It is that society of men and women who submit to God and who honor
Him as their Creator and God of all. We pray hopefully each day the Lord's
prayer asking God to be in our lives and in our world: May Your kingdom come
and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus words are just as
relevant during His earthly ministry and still today, the kingdom of heaven is
at hand!
Jesus tells His
disciple - at this phase of their work - not to go to the Gentles but to make a
real effort at being heard by the people, "the lost sheep of the house of
Israel" (Matt 10:6.) We have heard lately in the Gospel readings about the
unfaithfulness of their leaders but Jesus Christ only very slowly and
reluctantly will cease His effort to be heard and received by them. God's
covenant means faithfulness and daily living in His Word. For us to truly
measure this in our own lives, we need to look at the relationships around us.
Are they healthy or un-healthy relationships? Do these relationships bring joy
to both ourselves and others, or is there instead pain and anger? We need to
remember that once chosen and loved, is to be always chosen and loved by God's
standards. Can people around us daily find the loyalty with which God has
gifted us?
In the responsorial
psalm we acclaim: those who hope, God will deliver them and preserve them. Jesus'
message has profound implications for Christians and for the entire church. We
have a mission to the world, to make a difference for good here and now. We can
start small - with the here and now. What acts of goodness, generosity, and
forgiveness, can you and I offer today, that will help make the kingdom alive
and visible - so to help others to live it?