The Treasure & Pearl of the Kingdom

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time- Matthew 13:44-46: The Kingdom of Heaven. When Bible scholars examined the Gospels to discern the primary or recurring theme of Jesus' preaching, they discovered that the teachings on the “Kingdom of Heaven” (also called the "Kingdom of God") appears 99 times in the 4 Gospels; and 90 of these times it comes directly from the lips of Jesus! This HAS to grab our attention and cause us to reflect on what this means. After all, God himself has come in the flesh to live and walk and talk among us…so the Kingdom of God teaching must be of utmost importance for our salvation!

But what Is the Kingdom of God? What does this mean? Why is Jesus so insistent that we reach out and grasp it, that we do all in our power to enter into it?   I think the answer is actually pretty simple because a kingdom is first of all, where the king lives! The Kingdom of God is the dwelling place and presence of God, the place where God is adored above all and his will is done for his glory and our happiness. The Kingdom of God is where love, justice, peace, mercy and compassion reign.

The Kingdom of God is supposed to be the motivating goal of our lives. The Kingdom of God is something so vital, so worthwhile and above anything else, that we would do anything to assure our part in it! The Kingdom of God is a precious discovery like a buried treasure.  The Kingdom of God is a rare find worth giving up everything to possess, like the world’s finest pearl. This is what the parables in today’s Gospel are all about.

All who actively respond to Jesus’ invitation have the Kingdom of God within them by grace.  The Holy Spirit comes to make them his dwelling place and God touches the lives of others through them, bringing justice, mercy, peace, compassion, love to the broken, the wounded, the needy. But this gift of the Kingdom is made possible for us only by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which we share in by Baptism. Jesus himself said that we cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless we are reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, which means the Sacrament of Baptism.  And it is this new birth, this rebirth, that brings us a to new way of thinking, of living, and of loving as people of the Kingdom. It grows within us every time we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord with faith and devotion in Holy Communion.

Let’s remember that because the Kingdom of God is within us, we are way more beautiful than any basilica or temple of God, even St. Peter’s in Rome, because we are living and breathing shrines of the one True God, who wants to extend his kingdom of love, justice mercy and peace to every human heart through us, his Christian people, who strive the live the Gospel where they live, work and socialize.

On vacation this weekend so no audio homily this week. But here is a reflection from my notes...

Mass Readings for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time - July 23, 2017

First Reading         Wis 12:13, 16-19

Second Reading    Rom 8:26-27

Gospel Reading     Mt 13:24-43

Topic: The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...

When biblical scholars examined the New Testament to discern a primary or recurring theme of Jesus' preaching, they discovered that the phrase "Kingdom of God" appears 122 times. It appears 99 times in the 4 Gospels; and 90 of these times it comes directly from the lips of Jesus!  This HAS to grab our attention and cause us to reflect on what is meant by "kingdom of God".

First of all we need to know that Kingdom of God (used in Mark and Luke) and Kingdom of Heaven (used in Matthew) refer to the same reality. The reason for the difference is that Matthew must have been a more traditional Jew who would not used the word "God" out of respect for the Divine Name. Even today, many orthodox Jews maintain this custom. When I was a new grad out of USF and working for a media company in San Francisco, we had an Orthodox Jewish staff member who would omit the word "God" whenever it was used in a script and substitute it with another divine title. I prefer "Kingdom of God" to avoid confusion with our future life in Heaven.

The second thing to know about the Kingdom of God is that it is supposed to be the motivating goal of our lives. The Kingdom of God is something so precious, so vital, so worthwhile and above anything else, that we would do anything to assure our part in it!  Our Kingdom-motivation is something that can be very influential when lived authentically, and so it will be opposed by the powers of darkness who do not want people to enter the Kingdom.

The third thing we need to know is its definition: what Is the Kingdom of God? It is the dwelling place and presence of God - together with His grace or power to change and transform us. It is an attitude within us and environment around us wherein God is adored above all and his will is done for his glory and our happiness. So you can see why many people have mistakenly thought that this phrase refers only to Heaven, to our ultimate destination of life with God. But "heaven" begins on earth when we  allow God to live and rule in our hearts. You can also see why the powers of darkness oppose it: the Kingdom warriors (us!) threaten their status quo!

When Jesus preached and taught on this topic, his original words in Aramaic can be translated three different ways, all of which contribute to a fuller understanding of this teaching:

"The kingdom of God is near to you." This means that the presence and power of God, his plan to restore and renew humanity, is breaking into human history through the presence and preaching of his son, Jesus. This is why the Gospels all have the Baptism of Jesus and his preaching ministry as the attention-getting opening event of his public ministry.

"The Kingdom of God is upon you." This means that the Kingdom is knocking at the doors of our hearts, waiting to become part of our lives. It  is to be realized and expressed by the conversion of our hearts as we seek to strive after peace, love, justice, mercy, compassion. This is why the Gospels all contain the parables and teachings of Jesus, calling us to a new way of thinking, a new way of looking at life, a new way of living.

"The Kingdom of God is within you." This means that all those who respond to Jesus, to his Gospel, will receive the grace to live within the Kingdom of God both now and hereafter. The power and presence of God will be within us. The reign or action of God will touch the lives of others through us, bringing them justice, mercy, peace, compassion, love. But this is made possible for us human beings only through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which we share in by Baptism and the other sacraments. This is why all the Gospels contain the Passion Story of that first Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday in Jerusalem, two thousand years ago. Jesus, our Elder Brother and Lord, is the one-only Savior who makes Kingdom-living possible for us!

So the Gospel for this Sunday should inspire us to really examine our relationship with Jesus. Where can I improve? How can I grow in it? Am I living the Kingdom values of mercy, justice, peace, compassion? Is the Kingdom of God the highest value and priority in my life? Do I realize that the more I focus on living the Kingdom of God, the better person I will become, enabling me to see to all the other lesser priorities in life?

Yoked to Jesus

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 9, 2017. Mt. 11: 25-30. Theme: Yoked to Jesus. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt 11:29-30)

Jesus was a country boy and one of his memories was surely seeing a pair of oxen yoked to one another for the sake of ploughing a field. A yoke was a wooden harness that went around the neck/shoulders of the two oxen, linking them together. The key to successful pairing was to yoke a strong fast ox to a weaker slower one.  By doing so, the weaker of the two shared in the power and strength of the heartier one, and the ox who carried the brunt of it all was assisted by the contribution, even if less, from the other. Thus, together, they completed the task better than each one on its own. They plough the field with deep straight furrows, preparing it for the seeds and eventual harvest.

Now transfer this analogy to your relationship, your daily walk, with the Risen Lord Jesus. Is there something in particular that gets you down and hold you back from becoming the man God created you to be? Are there things in your life - at home, at work, with friends - that wear you down at times or test your inner strength to love and serve? Jesus wants to carry the heavier load, to bear the brunt. He wants to be yoked to you spiritually 24/7 x 365 so that you can learn from Him, partnering with Him throughout the day. 

Jesus never takes this shared yoke off his shoulders...but sometimes we do and we walk away from Him. Then life becomes heavier and the ploughing of our spiritual field (that is, the sprouting of the Word of God in our hearts) becomes rag-tag and uneven.  Whenever we sense that we have removed the yoke, let's repent of doing so and run back to Jesus. Let's ask Him to once again put his yoke on us so that we can learn from Him, rest in His strength and remain close to his gentle, humble heart.