What else might we see or not see in the Kingdom? Paul mentions in his letter to the Galatians that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free" (Galatians 3:28). If there are neither Jews nor Greeks, then religious and political divisions are gone. They are gone because all are "sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (3:26-27). In the Kingdom the only designation that matters is that we belong to Christ. We don't belong to a religion or to a country. We don't belong to someone else. We cannot be bought or sold or given to someone else because we belong to Christ. So there is no slavery, no bondage, no sex trafficking. There are no religious or political wars. All are equal and treat each other with respect and love. For reflection: This type of equality is difficult to imagine in our present situation where what country you belong to, or what religion you practice, or your sex determines much of your life. Let us open our minds to Christ, put on the mind of Christ, clothe ourselves with Christ. And imagine.
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God loves us. It's so simple to say and so hard to really believe. And because God loves us he sent his son Jesus to be with us. Everything Jesus did was good and done on our behalf. He told of the good news of the kingdom to any who would listen. He ate with sinners; spoke with the unclean. Healed sick people and raised dead people. He cast out demons and calmed storms. He fed people with food and with word. He gave hope and comfort. He proclaimed a year of favor from the Lord and he lived it out. Returning again to Luke 4:18-19 where Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2, the last part is "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor". He was proclaiming the inauguration of the Kingdom of God on earth through his own presence. He was declaring a time of jubilee when all debts are cancelled, all slaves are freed, and all property returned to the original owners. It was a time of the equalization of people. Those who had fallen down the socioeconomic ladder were raised back up. For reflection: In the Kingdom of God on earth there would not be such disparities between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. What am I doing to bring about this aspect of the Kingdom of God on earth? Let us pray. Jesus, you have a grand vision for the kingdom. It is hard even to imagine how to achieve equality among peoples in one country, much less around the world. What can I do? Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Another aspect of the Kingdom of God on earth, brought up by the typhoon, is that there will be no more destructive storms. We can deduce this because we have the example of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). After Jesus simply speaks to the storm, "Quiet! Be still!", the wind dies and the waters are calm. Then he chastises the disciples for not having enough faith. They had not recognized that his miracle-working power extended to storms even though they had already seen him heal many people and cast out demons. As Jesus healed people, he taught them that "the Kingdom of God is near" so they should "repent and believe the good news" (Mark 1:15). This was a new kingdom, not like any other kingdom they had ever seen. Did they have the faith to believe it and to tell others about it and demonstrate how it was different? For reflection: Do I believe that the Kingdom of God on earth is near? That it is different? Do I have the faith to calm storms? If I banded together with other people, would I have the faith to stop typhoons? Let us pray. Jesus, I've never even prayed to stop a storm before. I've always just prayed for the people to endure and recover. Help me have the faith to believe and to act when there is a threat. What does the Kingdom of God on earth look like? Continuing with "proclaiming . . . recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke 4:18), what if recovery of sight meant physical healing instead of spiritual healing (or both spiritual and physical healing)? Jesus certainly made it a point to heal people while he was on earth and his mission was to proclaim the Kingdom of God on earth. So the healing of people with physical problems is evidence of the kingdom. I doubt that all people in healing professions would proclaim that they are helping to bring about the Kingdom, but they are because all wisdom and knowledge comes from God. All ability to help and to comfort is from God. Inspiration for cures comes from God too. Aside from people in the healing professions, people who pray for the healing of friends and loved ones are helping to bring about the Kingdom because in the Kingdom there is no sickness (physical, emotional or spiritual). There is no more death, no more crying. No one weeps in the Kingdom. For reflection: For whom do I need to pray today? If I see someone in the next few days, will I be open to God's prompting to pray with them in person? If I am in the healing professions, do I thank God every day for the privilege of helping to proclaim "sight to the blind". Do I know someone who is caring for a loved one at home? How can I offer a hand? Let us pray. Heavenly Father, there is so much work to do in the area of healing to bring about your Kingdom. We need more knowledge of how the human body works. We need more inspiration for cures. How can I help? What else might the Kingdom of God on earth look like? The next line from Isaiah, read by Jesus in the temple, is "recovery of sight for the blind" (Luke 4:18). This restoration of sight can be spiritual or physical. Either way it is a good thing and helps to bring about the Kingdom. Spiritual sight would mean that people would know God. If all people on earth knew God the world would be a different place. It would be a world of love and mercy, peace and justice. For if we know Christ and have the Spirit of God, then "we have the mind of Christ" as St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 2:16). Being like-minded in Christ is a recurring them for Paul. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ . . if any fellowship with the Spirit . . . (have) the same love, (be) one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:1-5). For reflection: Do I know God? Do I have the Holy Spirit? To what extent am I spiritually blind? Do I really see other people and their needs? Let us pray. Jesus, I want to be like-minded with you. I want to see people the way you see them. I want to see people's actions and circumstances the way you see them. I want to help bring about the Kingdom of God on earth. Your kingdom come, your will be done. What do we mean by the kingdom of God for which we pray in the Lord's Prayer? When we say "your kingdom come" what are we imagining? What does it look like? There are many clues in Scripture as to what the kingdom looks like. One of these is in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus reads from the writings of Isaiah the prophet (61:1-2). Let's look at what one of the proclamations might mean in the kingdom of God on earth - freedom for the prisoners/captives. I don't believe that Jesus simply meant to set prisoners free in order to let them cause havoc or commit crimes. He meant that hearts would be changed to such a degree that there would be no need for prisons. Consider what this would mean around the world just for political prisoners. It means a world where there is political peace and justice for everyone with no need to demonstrate or protest. All people would be treated fairly by the government. There would be no war, no genocide, no torture, no political prisoners. No need for armies or training for war. For reflection: In sports, they teach athletes to envision being faster, envision winning. As Christians, can we envision the earth ruled with peace, justice and fairness? Envision it today. Envision a world with no war, no armies, no genocide, no torture, no political prisoners. Let us pray. Jesus, in order to bring about your kingdom on earth, I need your vision for it. I need the vision of no more war, no injustice. I want to proclaim freedom for prisoners around the world. Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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