GOD'S KINGDOM IS IMMINENT
What acts of
goodness, generosity, and forgiveness can you or I offer today that will help
make the kingdom visible and creatable, so to help others to live the kingdom?
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 daily in the Lord's
Prayer asking God to be in our lives and in our world when we say "May
Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Jesus' words are just as relevant today as they were during His earthly
ministry. The kingdom of heaven is at hand!
At
this phase of the disciples' work, Jesus tells them not to go to the Gentiles,
but to make a genuine effort at being heard by "the lost sheep of the
house of Israel" (Mt 10:6). Lately in the Gospel readings, we have heard
about the unfaithfulness of the Israelite leaders, but Jesus Christ only very
slowly and reluctantly ceases His effort to be heard and received by them.
God's covenant means being faithful and daily living in His Word. For us to
truly measure this in our own lives, we must look at the relationships around
us: Are they healthy or unhealthy relationships? Do they bring us and the other
person joy, or is there pain and anger? We need to remember that once we are
chosen and loved, we are always chosen and loved by God's standards. Can those
people around us daily find in us the loyalty that God has gifted us with?
In
the responsorial psalm we acclaimed, "Seek always the face of the
Lord" (Ps 105). 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. What acts of goodness, generosity,
and forgiveness can you or I offer today that will help make the kingdom
visible and creatable, so to help others to live the kingdom?