Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God and the Son of Man. He specifically reminds His disciples to be aware of whom they choose to follow. How are these words of Jesus important to us living today?
The Pharisees are trying to learn from Jesus when his “Kingdom” will come in today’s reading from the gospel. Jesus’ reply is somewhat vague, as He tells His listeners that the Kingdom of God cannot be seen, and no one will announce its coming. And yet, Jesus proclaims that the “Kingdom of God is among you.” Jesus turns to His disciples to further clarify His statement as He explains that they will long to see the days of the Son of Man, even as people around them might point to others as being the One. Jesus completes his prophecy explaining that the Son of Man will be a light for the entire world, but He first must suffer rejection and death. With Jesus in their midst, I suspect that the disciples were at a loss to understand the totality of what Jesus might be saying. At its core, I believe that Jesus is proclaiming that He is the Son of Man who has brought the Kingdom of God to earth, and even during dark and difficult times, the disciples should follow no one but Him.
This teaching is not just vital for the disciples described in today’s gospel, but for our lives today. As we review the news, war, famine, hate, and fear seem to dominate the headlines. But as Christians, we continue to believe that the Kingdom of God is among us. God’s grace, love, compassion and peace are present, and we are called to be conduits of this grace in our world.
There are also people in our world today who promise to bring prosperity, security, power, and dominion. Our gospel reminds us “do not run in pursuit”, since these individuals are not the true “Son of Man.” As Christians, Jesus should be the source and center for how we think, talk and act. Through His life, Jesus shows us that caring for the poor, the marginalized, the immigrant, and the outcast are important aspects of living out our faith. As His followers, we are called to do the same. There may be suffering and rejection when we follow Jesus and how He lived, but we know that Jesus also suffered because of His words and deeds. We are not alone in our struggles, since Jesus accompanies us on this journey to build the Kingdom of God. Through our time in prayer, scripture, sacrament, and community we can find strength to bring Christ to our city, nation and the world. God’s light will shine through us as we follow Jesus, and united as the Body of Christ, we will light up the sky for all to see that the Kingdom of God IS among us.
Loving God, You sent Jesus to show us your love and how to share that love with others. Send your Spirit upon us so we can follow Jesus. As followers of Christ, may we bring light to the world, so all may know your presence. We pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN
—Marylynn Herchline