Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today Jesus sends us out, after the example of the Twelve Apostles, with this instruction, “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The Twelve set the stage for us as we follow Christ on this journey of life as his disciples. What does it mean for us to proclaim, “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand?”
Our marching orders from Jesus are to proclaim his Kingdom. We receive this mandate at the end of every Mass. In Latin, the dismissal is the phrase, “Ite, missa est.” It is often translated, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” I just learned, however, that a more literal translation is “Go, it is sent.” The “it” refers to the love of Christ in Word and Sacrament, the love and glory of the Father, the Gospel message, and the Holy Spirit who fills us, or perhaps even the “it” is Christ himself. The focus is not on us, and the point is not our departure from the building! This is powerful!! We get to take what we received in Word and Sacrament and share it unselfishly and wholeheartedly with others. Ite, missa est! Our hearty response, “thanks be to God!” indicates our willingness to allow Christ to proclaim his Kingdom through us. It’s truly not about us (thanks be to God!).
You might rightly say, proclaim? What am I supposed to say? I submit that when words are necessary, the Holy Spirit will give them to you as you trust in God. The Kingdom is proclaimed primarily by our witness, not our words. What is the Kingdom of heaven? How is it defined and how will I know if I’m proclaiming it? I offer these questions for your pondering today. How do you understand the Kingdom of heaven? When you hear Jesus words spoken to you, “make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand,’” what do you understand him to mean? How will you know if you’re making an authentic proclamation by your life, one that glorifies your Father in heaven?
I believe it’s important that each one of us consider these questions and ponder them prayerfully. I’ll offer a few of the ruminations of my heart for you to chew on. Internalize what rings true and spit out anything that doesn’t.
I think the Kingdom of heaven is fundamentally the eternal exchange of love that is the Holy Trinity. When Jesus said this Kingdom was at hand, he meant literally at hand, in their midst, because divine Love had come to earth in the Incarnate Son who stood in their midst. After our Lord’s ascension, I believe the Kingdom of heaven comes to us whenever heaven and earth meet in the power of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, the Sacraments are powerful and primary examples of that.
In our daily lives, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand when divine Love is visible within us, when we embody the Jesus who was Incarnate on this earth and who now loves the world through us. Following is part of the poem, “Christ has no Body,” by St. Teresa of Ávila:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ proclaims his Kingdom through us when we love and live as he did. This sounds really lovely and pious until the rubber meets the road. Are we courageous enough today to offer the sacrifice required to be Christ-like proclaimers? Am I willing to humble myself, to be meek and humble as Christ was? Am I able to repent of the pride and self-centeredness that demands its own way and easily takes offense? Can I love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me? Am I able to authentically feel compassion for every suffering soul, even if that person insults me and treats me unjustly? Can I be a peacemaker today? Will I commit to reconciling with those who have hurt me, or those whom I’ve hurt? Is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life evident? These are only a few questions to stimulate your own introspection. We have to get out of Christ’s way so that he can proclaim his Kingdom through us.
“Go, it is sent!” Picture the faithful streaming out of the church building after Mass as “little Christs,” a massive wave of Trinitarian love carrying what we’ve received in Word and Sacrament. “It” is sent in a powerful flood when we properly understand our identity and our mission. Then, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). We cannot authentically proclaim something we haven’t received. Let us pray today for poverty of spirit. It takes profound poverty of spirit to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself. The Kingdom of heaven is at hand when we are able to surrender, even a tiny bit more, to Trinitarian love and allow it to permeate our very essence. Let us not give in to despair, nor focus on our faults and failings. Let us simply strive today to surrender to God, love God more completely, and to allow Christ to proclaim his Kingdom through us. Oh God, come to our assistance. Lord, make haste to help us. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit! Amen, alleluia!
-Elizabeth Wells