What Kingdom are We Seeking?
In many dioceses in the U.S., the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord on the Sunday before Pentecost, and the readings for that day are the basis of my reflection. In our Gospel reading (Matthew 28: 16-20), the Risen Jesus appears to His disciples, and gives them a commission:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
I think it might be good to reflect on these words of Jesus in the light of what is going on today. For instance, when Jesus says, “Go…and make disciples of all nations,” I don’t believe He is talking about trying to force others to be disciples, or seeking to shame or demean others for not being with “us.” He is not calling us to be cruel to those who may be different from us. Instead, Jesus says that we are to teach “them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We teach others to observe all that Jesus commanded us to do by observing Jesus’ commandments ourselves.
We do that by demonstrating God’s love and compassion and mercy. We do it by working for justice and peace. We do it by serving each other, especially those considered the “least” among us (Matthew 25:31-46).
We are called to do this, not only as individuals, but as a community. In our first reading from Acts (1:1-11), we have Luke’s account of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, His return to the Father. Before He ascends, His disciples ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” I have often said that if I was Jesus, I would have been frustrated with the question. Could they not understand that Jesus wasn’t talking about the restoration of any earthly kingdom? Well, today it hit me. Here I am criticizing the apostles for asking about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, and yet, I am comfortable thinking about the U.S. and its status in the world as a superpower or even the superpower.
Jesus wasn’t looking to restore the kingdom of David and Solomon. He came to reconcile us with God so we could enter the kingdom of heaven and gave us a way to help build up that kingdom on earth, by love and sacrifice and giving of ourselves.
- Do Jesus’ words have anything to do about what kind of kingdom we are seeking?
- Do we wish to be “great” in our own eyes or in the eyes of the world?
- Or do we wish to see others and the whole of creation as God sees them, and be “great” as Jesus tells us to be great?
If we believe that Jesus is with us always, we don’t have to stare up at the sky wondering where He is. He is at the right hand of the Father, but He is also here with us. In response to His love, we are called to love each other as He loves us, seeking first the kingdom of God.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In the Risen Christ,
Phil, CP
