“The Kingdom of God is at hand”

THAT’S from the Gospel of St. Mark (1,15), words spoken by Christ himself when he went into Galilee and proclaimed the Good News of God after John the Baptist was put in prison. After saying this he immediately said: “Repent and believe in the good news!” Yes, the way to the kingdom of God is when we repent of our sins and believe, nay, live the very message and spirit of the gospel. We often think of heaven or of the kingdom of God as so inaccessible here on earth that we think it only exists in our dreams, in our fantasies or in our desires. It cannot be here and now. And because of that, we often fail to consider it in our thoughts, words and deeds when in fact it is a very important and indispensable parameter in the way we live our life here on earth. Truth to tell, heaven is and should be a constant element to consider so we would know if we are still doing right, if we are still on the right track. We should never ignore heaven in any way, because that is the final destination for all of us. Yet in all the supposed ineffableness of heaven, Christ described it in very down-to-earth terms. In Chapter 13 of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we are given a series of parables that Christ said to describe the kingdom of heaven. In these parables, Christ compared the kingdom of heaven: - with the man sowing seeds on different kinds of ground; - with the man who sowed good seeds of wheat only for his enemy to sow weeds also; - with the mustard seed that is small and yet grows into a big tree; - with a leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour till it was all leavened; - with a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field; - with a merchant in search of fine pearls and finding one of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it; - with a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels, but threw away the bad. Hardly anything can be more down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, realistic and practical than these descriptions of heaven. And the lessons they impart are actually simple. They are no rocket-science lessons, though we have to admit that to live these lessons we need nothing less than God’s grace and our all-out effort. Another consideration is that while we should be immersed in our earthly affairs, we should see to it that such immersion should actually enrich us spiritually, that is, lead us to God, or make our love for God and others grow, because the earthly things are precisely for that purpose. That is the law and disposition God has imbued in the earthly things that are made available to us for our use. We have to see to it that love for God and others should always be the motive of everything that we do—from our thoughts and intentions, to our words, and to our work. It should also be the motive when we have to go through the different circumstances of our life, the good ones as well as the bad ones, our fortunes and our misfortunes. That’s how we can feel that truly “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”

When Christ leaves us incredulous

WE should not be surprised by this phenomenon. In the gospel, there are many instances when Christ would leave even those close to him questioning and skeptical about his teachings and ways. 

 When he went to his hometown, for example, and entered the synagogue and started to preach, those who heard him could not believe that someone of their own could preach the way he preached. “Where did this man get these things? What’s this wisdom that has been given him?” they asked in disbelief. (Mk 6,2) 

 Even among the apostles who had spent a lot of time and were already familiar with Christ’s will and ways were left shocked when Christ told them, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” To which they could only respond, “Who then can be saved?” (Mt 19,24-25) 

 Christ’s will and ways and the whole range of our Christian faith definitely would go beyond our normal process of understanding things. The simple reason is that God’s will and ways are supernatural that would go beyond but not against our natural power of understanding. 

 In the face of all this, all we have to do is to humble ourselves knowing that even in the natural level of things, we already would have difficulty understanding everything. How much more when we consider the mysteries and the supernatural truths of our Christian faith. 

 Just the same, even if we cannot fully understand everything of our faith, there should be no stopping in our effort to understand it. But as St. Augustine once said, we should first believe so we may understand. “Credo ut intelligam” (I believe so that I may understand). And St. Anselm coined this expression that says the same thing—“Fides quaeres intellectum” (Faith seeking understanding). 

 I suppose the thing to do is study well the Bible, exploring the context, genre, and message of each book. Then we should try to do some theological reflection which can be aided when we engage with theologians and scholars to deepen our understanding of the Christian doctrine. Of course, we need to pray and do some contemplation by seeking a personal experience of God’s presence and guidance. 

 Though our Christian faith is supernatural that contains truths that are beyond our human understanding, we can still bank on some strong motives of its credibility. To mention a few, we can cite the glorious resurrection of Christ which can only show us a definitive sign of his divinity. 

 Then we have the miracles performed by Christ and the saints. There is also the fulfillment of the prophecies made about Christ and by Christ himself. There is also the sublimity of the Christian doctrine which can give proof that it is of a divine origin. There is also the sanctity and spread of the Church, her fruitfulness and stability that despite, temporary problems, would tell us that the faith, despite its mysteries, is worth believing. 

 Obviously, what is needed here first of all is the grace of God which is always poured on us abundantly. Things would just depend on how receptive and responsive we are to that grace. That grace would help us to humble ourselves so we can open ourselves to the light God gives for us to believe and start understanding the content of our faith. 

 So, when Christ would leave us incredulous, we should deepen our humility for the grace to penetrate more deeply into our consciousness, enabling us to act accordingly.

“Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases”

THAT’S a verse from the Gospel of St. Matthew. (8,17) It’s actually from the Book of Isaiah (53,4) expressing a prophecy that Christ fulfilled through the many miraculous healings he made while going around preaching. 

 It’s a truth of faith that we need to cultivate and keep deeply and strongly in our mind and heart, especially when we find ourselves hounded by all kinds of infirmities and suffering all kinds of diseases. This way we would not waste time suffering unnecessarily and would just learn to bear all the inconveniences, convinced that in the end Christ would take care of everything. 

 We should just have a sporting spirit, spiced with a good sense of humor as we go through the unavoidable sufferings we would encounter in this life. We need a sporting spirit because life’s true failure can come only when we choose not to have hope. That happens when our vision and understanding of things is narrow and limited, confined only to the here and now and ignorant of the transcendent reality of the spiritual and supernatural world. 

 Besides, life involves a till-death struggle against all sorts of enemies, starting with our own treacherous self, the ever-seductive world, and most of all, the spiritual enemies who certainly are more powerful than us. 

 Finally, life involves pursuing a goal that is much greater, yes, infinitely greater than ourselves. We should not be a bad sport who gives up easily without even trying, or who surrenders in the middle of an exciting and suspenseful game. 

 We therefore have to develop a strong spiritual sportsmanship in the tenor expressed in some words of St. Paul: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” (1 Cor 9,24) 

 Aside from a strong sense of self-discipline and submitting ourselves in a continuing training program, an indispensable ingredient of this healthy sporting spirit is the sense of acceptance and abandonment that we need to deliberately cultivate. This does not come automatically, as if it’s part of our genes. We have to develop them. 

 We have to learn to accept things the way they are or the way they can be. Yes, it’s true that we can shape things and events in our life. We can even shape persons to a certain extent. 

 While some heavy drama may be involved, let’s be convinced that we are given a game plan that assures us of victory. It’s the game plan of hope in the ever wise, omnipotent and merciful providence of God. What is needed here is precisely a healthy sense of acceptance and abandonment in the hands of God. 

 Added to that is a good sense of humor which definitely has very salutary effects and advantages. It makes us see things better. It makes us more flexible and more able to handle varying situations. 

 It gives us some space and distance from events so that we would be able to assess and judge things calmly and properly. And all this aside from its immediate effect of making everybody feel good, which is already a tremendous thing. 

 In the face of severe trials, joy expressed in wit and humor is a precious element to have. It can only show one’s deep trust and confidence in the providence of God. There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of. There’s the conviction that everything, including martyrdom, is an organic part of God’s saving plan for the person concerned and for everyone else.