Establishing the Kingdom of God

Dear Family,
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a presentation that was presented this year to our Carmelite Community, by Father Salvatore Sciurba, OCD. I was unable to personally attend the Retreat, but I did however secure a taped recording of some of the lectures. One in particular seemed to speak to me very strongly regarding the Kingdom of God . I have taken the time to transcribe the main thesis of this presentation in hopes that I may share it with you. I know our busy schedules sometimes necessitate setting such information off to the side. But I ask that you give this a few moments for reflection, as I feel it will be very beneficial to your continued spiritual growth.

Peace in Carmel,
Jeff

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From: http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/greenhearts/kingdomofgod.htm

Establishing the Kingdom of God

The dream of Jesus’ life, the vision that inspired Him was that of the Kingdom of God . It was the content of His preaching and teaching. The signs and wonders that were performed were indications that the Kingdom of God , had dawned already. It was for Him the pearl of great price worth sacrificing everything for. Indeed, Jesus would die for the Kingdom. It was not tied down to any geographical place, nor designed or limited by any particular political theory. It was God’s dream for the whole of Creation. It was the in realm of God’s power. It was the reign of God’s love over us.

Jesus doesn’t exactly define the Kingdom. He uses similes and figures of speech to help us understand it. And so, He tells us that the Kingdom is like a seed that grows slowly, imperceptibly, but it will indeed grow if the conditions are right. It will grow into something of power and beauty. The Kingdom is already at hand, yet the Kingdom will come in all its fullness in the future. Once again, it is like the seed that contains and guarantees the future in some mysterious way. In the Kingdom, wheat and weeds grow up together. Good and evil coexist, and God’s patience is always directed towards our salvation. He gives us time to grow and be transformed. And yet, there will be a definitive judgment, and that’s what the parable of the fishermen’s net teaches us. The Kingdom is a gift. To enter it, one must receive it like a dependent child who has no rights or merit. Nonetheless, the Kingdom calls for our response. We must use our talents and not bury them. We must see that the Kingdom expands. The Kingdom calls for decisive action on our part.

St. Paul tells us the Kingdom of God , is a matter of justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where these fundamental core values are present, there is the Kingdom of God , in some fashion, in some way, in some degree. When we think of Justice however, we think in terms of crime and punishment, judge and jury, but that isn’t the biblical understanding of Justice. Justice is establishing right order; it’s establishing right relationships. Right relationships with God, with self, with neighbor, and with nature are key to the Kingdom. It means fulfilling our responsibility, and showing compassion to the needy. Justice is what God does. He defends the poor and the weak, vindicating victims and liberating the oppressed.

When Jesus began his ministry His desire was to establish the Kingdom and thereby fulfill the will of God, and this entails the reestablishment of the relationships on which the Covenant was built. Jesus who reveals a God of tenderness was moved by an image of a God of love. While some preach the Day of Judgment and retribution, Jesus, in the spirit of Isaiah the prophet, proclaims a Kingdom where the blind see, the deaf hear, and the poor have the good news preached to them.

Jesus understood His mission in terms of Justice, and that led Him to seek out and save the marginalized and the excluded. Jesus was especially sensitive to discrimination of every kind, whether it was religious, social, cultural, national, or gender related. So too must his followers be. Jesus was often in trouble because of his interpretation of, and the liberty that He took, with the Law. He was not opposed to the Law, indeed he came to fulfill it and not abolish it. But He was concerned about how it was being interpreted. Law as wisdom, as gift, and revelation of God, was good and to be reverenced. But when law became burdensome or was used against people as the Pharisees were inclined to do, then something was wrong.

Jesus interpreted the law in terms of justice and compassion. He sought to establish right relationships with the marginalized and the outcasts. He ate and drank with sinners. His table fellowship with them was highly controversial but deliberate and a clear parable in action. Jesus sets the table where all are equal in God’s sight because all are God’s children. Jesus puts the so-called sinner and the righteous on the same level. Jesus was restoring the Covenant.

In His time more than half the population was excluded. These persons included the disabled, prostitutes, tax collectors, the shepherds (who were considered low in status), and thieves. Yet shepherds were the first to hear the Good News in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus came to seek out and save the lost. He had pity, and indeed compassion, on the multitudes. He taught his disciples to follow His example. It is the mission of the Church to continue to establish this justice of the End Times. Peace in scripture speaks of wholeness and well-being. Joy speaks to us of the fullness of life and love, and we get glimpses and experiences of this joy, from time to time, even in the midst of our struggles and suffering.

What does the Kingdom look like? What shape does it take? When the hungry are fed, when the injured forgive, when an inclusive community is formed, and discrimination is eliminated, when violence is replaced by mercy, when love overcomes fear, there is the Kingdom of God , and that is the dream of Jesus.

But how do we get there? How do we enter that Kingdom? What are the requirements? Jesus goes on to teach us in His "Sermon on the Mount" the spirituality of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are the way to enter the Kingdom of God . They are the means to foster communion with God and neighbor. Once again, Jesus teaches the opposite of what we might expect -- Blessed are the rich, the powerful, the rejoicing, we might think. They can have and do anything they want. Instead, he said, blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the gentle, those who mourn, and those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, the peacemakers, and the pure of heart. They are happy because the Kingdom of God is theirs.

This happiness is not merely a psychological feeling, though it may have psychological implications. This happiness is a deep inner composure that comes from the experience of God. Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the unassuming, those who rely completely on God. They are the ones who expect everything from God. Those who hope in God’s power, those who depend completely on God in humility and powerlessness. This applies especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Blessed are the meek and the gentle, those who are respectful of God’s ways and refrain from anger. They respect God’s times, and God’s Will, they are not arrogant. Jesus himself was pure in spirit and meek and gentle of heart. Learn from me He said.

Jesus lived the Beatitudes that He preached. Blessed are the merciful, those who show deep-rooted compassion to those in need. They are the ones who encounter God by responding to the needs of others. I was hungry and you fed me, naked, and you clothed me, sick or in prison, and you visited me, Jesus said. Blessed are the pure of heart, they search for the truth, they are honest, sincere and authentic. Blessed are the peacemakers, they search for wholeness and well-being, they abhor violence. Blessed are those who suffer because they work for peace and justice, as did Jesus and the prophets before Him.

The Beatitudes then lead us aggressively from openness to God, to openness to others. They bring about a communion of love. They are rooted in the life and example of Jesus Himself, who lives in right relationships with God, with self, with neighbor and with nature. These are the directives of Jesus. They explain how to live in the reign of God. These are the characteristics of those who do so. They rely on God; they bear the pains of those who suffer; they long for justice and are merciful. They work for peace. They bear with adversity.

Jesus teaches us that He and the Father dwell in those who love Him. The spirit of God is present in our hearts. This mystery is called the indwelling of the Trinity.