The Kingdom of God is at hand right now
Brothers and Sisters,
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus calls his disciples. His call has a two-fold purpose. The first is to form a community and the second is to give this community a mission. It is interesting how he calls each of the disciples by name. Of the Twelve Apostles seven have a name which comes from the time of the Patriarchs of the Old Testament. Through these names we see a recapitulation of history. Further it reveals how each one of us is called by God by his or her name.
Not only does Jesus call his disciples by name, but he is very clear in giving them instructions on what their mission will be. With explicit clarity he tells them what they need to do and who they are to see. We could really learn a thing or two from Jesus about our own communication skills. Are we clear in what we want to begin with, and then in stipulating this to others? Jesus’ purpose was very clear! His mission was to bring about the Kingdom of God. This is what he calls us to do also; and thus his mission becomes our mission.
This mission is to bring about the Kingdom of God. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio, teaches us that the Kingdom of God is at hand right now and available to everyone and he highlights the role of each one of us saying: “The kingdom is the concern of everyone: individuals, society, and the world. Working for the kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God's activity, which is present in human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God's plan of salvation in all its fullness.” Therefore it is our mission to ensure that the marginalized people whom Christ himself identifies with have an equal share in the kingdom of God and realize God’s plan of salvation in the liberation from the suppressions and evils they currently face. This means that we can no longer turn a blind eye to the injustices that take place in our community, society or world. We can no longer sit back and watch the poor getting poorer; the marginalized being banished further, the abused being silenced and the oppressed being humiliated. We must be the instruments of Christ who truly bring about the Kingdom of God today and now.
In our parish this week, 57 of our children (group 1 of 2) will be celebrating their first Holy Communion. Jesus is calling these children by name to be his new disciples. Let us all help them to grow in the love of Christ and truly bring about the Kingdom of God through our example. Congratulations to them and their families and a special thank you to the Holy Communion teacher volunteers who have worked so hard in preparing them for this special day.
