Jesus presents his program for human healing and transformation with an invitation, a
calling to embrace the kingdom of God. It begins with repentance, acceptance of the
good news of Jesus and following! Purpose of following Christ is to make present the
kingdom of God, God’s loving reign in human hearts. Time is an agent of God to bring
about God’s will in creation. Time of fulfillment means God has been preparing the
world for the arrival of Messiah; now we are in Christo-time [Christosphere], where we
live in loving mutuality after the model of God the Father-Jesus the Son relationship in
giving, enriching actions, letting goodness of creation to unfold in us! Kingdom of God
is an adventure/mission that starts with repentance and believing; it is to bring your
whole life to Christ; it is to say no to inhuman ways, no to destructive forces and all
forms of evil. Believing is to welcome the way of Christ, conversion of your self into
kingdom of God self! Repentance is to let go many false kingdoms, the bad and the
ugly we happen to accept as normal and be the goodness that Christ represents.
Repentance is a process, softening of hearts to mold kingdom of God in us! Life is not
a finished journey, each day is a new horizon to explore ways of love and goodness.
Look at the stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without
as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the one hundred and first blow it will split in
two. It wasn’t the last blow that did it but all that had gone before. No repentance/
change means to be in the same place, heart remaining like a hard rock. Listening and
pondering the word of God, prayer and penance are like a hammer blow of grace that
creates space in the heart for Christ and his gospel. Following Jesus is going to others;
it is a life witnessing freedom from hatred, lies, divisions and journeying with truth,
justice, peace of the kingdom and turning hearts over to love! A little girl in her
catechism class learned about the apostles. she did not quite get the word apostles.
She came home and told her parents that she learned about Jesus’ samples! Mother
Teresa had that freedom to do kingdom’s work, give her life to love; she touched many
hearts, changed many lives and became a sample of Christ! Christians are called to be
‘samples’ of Christ!
The disciples were living their ordinary lives and then Jesus enters the scene; their lives
changed for ever. Beholding Christ, staying with Christ is what transforms lives. Paul
reminds Christians that life is unpredictable; we don’t take anything with us when life is
done here, so use wisely your talents to build the kingdom of God/loving relationships.
Kingdom of God is a call within our call as married people, single or consecrated
people to live the gospel. In the family, at work and in the community, we become
ambassadors of Christ, leading the world to a new dawn of peace by giving all hope of
a new beginning through repentance and acceptance of forgiveness and healing in
Christ. Reflecting on today’s gospel poet J. Janda writes: ‘In our deepest selves if we
can enter there we may discover a peace and a goodness, a forgiveness, a gentleness
and a hope, Christ in our deepest selves; we may discover a desire a most inner desire
that what we want is to do God’s will and that this desire is all we can really know or be
sure of about our selves, yet it is enough, it is a grace’. Discover Christ in your deepest
selves, the love/goodness he infused in you!