Reflection

“Repent! The kingdom of God is near” (Matt 3:2). This is the political message that John the Baptist proclaims as he prepares the way for Jesus. It is also the first sentence out of Jesus’ mouth in the gospel of Mark (1:15) and the subject of many of his parables and teachings. Moreover, it is the message he tells his disciples to proclaim (Matt 10:7), the thing he tells his followers to seek above all (Matt 6:33, Luke 12:31).

Some Christians see “kingdom” as a kind of code word for “heaven,” but this verse reveals that heaven is the realm where God’s will is done. Jesus is asking his disciples to pray, desire, and work for the will of God to be done now, concretely, here on earth.

In modern language, we might understand Jesus’s words in this way: May your revolution come! May your will be done here and now!

While the “new heaven and new earth” (Rev 21:1) won’t be realized until the return of Jesus, we can live in ways that point to that impending eucatastrophe (a word coined by J.R.R. Tolkien to describe God’s impending, catastrophic goodness).

Action (Contemplate)

A seminarian once reflected, “Imagination and desire are fundamental. That’s where the real work is to be done, the true battles waged.” Is your fundamental prayer and desire for God’s kingdom to come?