"Go and proclaim the Good News, the Kingdom of Heaven has come near."
Gospel of Matthew
Do you believe in the life-changing powers of the Gospel and experience its transforming effects in your life?
Throughout the Gospels, in fact, throughout the New Testament, there is this continuous mentioning of two realities: First there is the reality that we identify with our five outward senses, the world as we know it; what we physically see, hear, smell, taste and feel. And then there is the more obscure reality which Jesus calls the Kingdom of Heaven. Since it is somewhat blurred, unclear, less visible, many without faith question whether it really exists.
When Jesus was questioned by Pilate-- Are you the King of the Jews --; Jesus' response was: "My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over." Pilate knew Jesus was no threat and thought He was a dreamer.
Jesus says to Nicodemus: "No one can enter God's Kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh. What is born of Spirit is Spirit." Nicodemus is confused by this. "How can anyone be reborn again?"
Jesus begins the beatitudes with: "Blessed are the poor of Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven", and Jesus reminds us continually that this more obscure reality of the Kingdom of Heaven is not based on the ways we express ourselves in the world which seek ambition, power, prestige, ownership, control etc. Jesus tells us that unless we change and become like little children, we will never enter this Kingdom of Heaven.
When describing this Kingdom, Jesus does not do so directly because it is beyond our ordinary vocabulary. He says: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it grows into a large tree where birds find comfort in its branches. It is like a treasure hidden in a field which someone finds, and hides, and then goes off and sells all he has in order to buy the field."
St. Paul approaches this Kingdom a little differently. He says: "Live by the Spirit, for what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit." Then he goes on and identified all the sufferings we inflict on ourselves by living entirely by the worldly reality versus the Spirit. With the Spirit we have love, joy, peace, patience, and so on. With the world we have jealousy, anger, quarrels, factions, envy etc.
If we want to change the world, then we must proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. The power of the Gospel with its supernatural qualities to transform lives can only happen through changed hearts that are open to God's abundant joy. The disciples were commissioned with that task as we are today.
Do you believe in the life-changing power of the Gospel and experience its transforming effects in your life?
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