If you were to write down in ten words or less what is the heart, the core of Jesus’ preaching, what you put down? Would you say, “Do good and avoid evil?” What about, “Follow the ten commandments?” Or, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you?” Oops! That is eleven words, one too many since our sentence is to be ten words or less. How about, “Love one another as I have loved you?”
These are all good answers but the best answer is the one which Jesus himself gives in today’s gospel. In nine words, he summarizes the theme of his teaching when he tells us, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
What exactly is Jesus telling us to do? We hear the message so often that for some people, it sounds like a broken record yet Jesus is raising a serious issue for us to consider if we truly want the best for our world.
Jesus isn’t merely presenting a set of rules for us to follow. He isn’t suggesting that we retreat from the world nor that we live like monks. He is not requiring a specific devotional life of prayer, or sacrifices, or special practices either. Instead he is calling each person to a change of heart, to take on a new way of thinking and of living.
He is telling us to repent “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” What he has to say is not original for John the Baptist delivered the same message. In fact, I even read that the words have been part of Jewish prayers for centuries, but now Jesus was delivering this message with enough urgency to prompt some men to follow him.
The arrival of the kingdom of heaven has always been a subject of much speculation. Many think that we won’t experience the kingdom of heaven until we have crossed the threshold of death, but Jesus is actually talking about the present. Scriptural scholars explain that the kingdom of heaven is not a place or program, but that situation where God has his way in our midst.
What makes Jesus stand apart from anyone else who has proclaimed that same message is the authority of his own being as the Son of God. Remember, he taught us a simple prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, in which we say, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” Jesus is challenging us to put God at the center of our lives and when we do, our world will be transformed from one of darkness to one of light.
While we are called to be a people of light, many choose to be people of darkness instead. Why, you ask, would people make such a foolish choice? Speaking from experience, we all know the pervasive pull of temptation and sin, which is why acknowledging our sins is the first step toward reforming our lives and dispelling the darkness of our world.
By virtue of our baptism, we are people of light for Christ has enlightened us. To dispel the darkness of our world, we must base our decisions on the Light of Christ. He comes into our lives and changes our lives in such a fundamental way that we have no choice but to bring His light to others if we are to experience the kingdom of heaven.
You might be thinking, “But I don’t know what to do.” Sure you do. Do that which adds light to the world, not that which is part of its darkness. That may mean breaking a relationship which is going bad or pulls you away from God. But no matter how much any decision might cost us, we will always be happy with ourselves when our choices are determined by the Light of Christ.
No doubt you would agree that I am responsible for myself, but am I in any way responsible for anyone else? When someone is going on a wrong course, what responsibility do I have? We might have a family member or friend who is doing things destructive to himself – and who could do harm to others. We often run into people who seem to be traveling down a bad path. So what can we do to help them?
St. Francis sheds light on this question: One day a friar approached him and asked, “Brother Francis, a verse from the Bible is troubling me. Ezekiel says that if someone is sinning and I do not rebuke him that his sin will fall on my head. I will be to blame. But I see people sinning all the time. I don’t feel right going around correcting other people. St. Francis remained silent for awhile. Then he said, “Dear brother, try to live God’s will every day. If you do, you will not need to say anything. Your life will rebuke the sinner.”
His point is not to judge other people. If we are to bring about the kingdom of heaven in our midst, ask yourself, “how do I need to change – to live my life differently? Where do I need to repent?” Keep in mind, sin separates us not only from God, but also from each other. Repentance, on the other hand, brings us together.
If I give myself more completely to the Lord, I could ultimately have a positive effect on others. While I am not personally responsible for the bad decisions of others, my life – for better or worse – does affect others.
The English poet, John Donne wrote, “No man is an island,”a poem many of us learned in school. He affirms what Jesus has been saying all along. Every action of each of us affects the entire community. We can destroy the community with our sins, sustaining a world of darkness, or we can build the community as one of light with our virtue.
Today we hear good news: the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. That promise of light pervades our worship. We are children of that light, open to all and enemies of none.
Lord Jesus, you are our refuge against fear….
Christ Jesus, you are our light and our salvation….
Lord Jesus, you call us to follow you with total abandon…
The God of light will sine upon those who find themselves in the darkness of poverty, doubt, sickness, or sin. We need only ask in prayer for God to bestow on them light, kindness, and truth
God of light, hear these prayers spoken aloud and the prayers of our hearts. Heal the hurts of our world for which we have no words. Fill with your love the empty places in all human hearts. We ask this through Christ your son, our lord who reigns with you, one God forever and ever…