A Kingdom Without Spectacles

In his homily yesterday, Pope Francis invited the faithful to pray for the grace to build the Kingdom of God quietly.  The Kingdom does not grow through spectacles, he said, but it instead blossoms through the silent witness of those living prayerful lives:

The Kingdom of God is humble, like the seed: humble but it becomes great by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is up to us to let it grow in us, without boasting about it: let the Spirit come, change our soul and carry us forward in silence, in peace, in tranquility, in closeness to God, to others, in worship of God, without spectacle.

Saint John Paul II was the first to call for a New Evangelization, and he encouraged the faithful to bear witness to the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ, particularly in historically Christian cultures where many have taken their eyes off of Him. As Pope Francis said yesterday, this New Evangelization does not require spectacles. It requires that we silently and humbly live prayerful lives.

St. John Paul II, pray for us, that we may allow the Holy Spirit to quietly build the Kingdom of God in us.   

Third Luminous Mystery: Proclamation Of The Kingdom

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.

Mark 1:15

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Everyone is called to enter the Kingdom. First announced to the children of Israel, this messianic kingdom is intended to accept men of all nations” (CCC, 543).

While meditating on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, say one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s, and a Glory Be (see "How to Pray the Rosary" if you are unfamiliar with any of these prayers).

Spreading The Kingdom of God

Below you’ll find the Gospel reading for Mass today. As you meditate upon God’s Word, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how it is that you can help spread the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

                -Mark 4: 26-34

Defend the Real Kingdom

Last week, the Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, encouraged fellow Christians to be strong in defending the faith in the public square. He said:

Knowledge of Christ the King will help us to avoid confusing his kingdom with any social regime, and it will also help us to be aware of our dignity and our commitments as living members of that Kingdom that Christ Jesus came to establish two thousand years ago.

…As subjects of Christ the King, we should take up the torch of the Gospel in our hands and witness with our lives to the truth proclaimed by Jesus.

But we Christians should be listeners of the Gospel before becoming its spokesmen, as Jesus Himself reminds us: 'He who is of the truth hears my voice.'

As the Church prepares for the coming of Christ, let us join together in our search for Christ’s truth and let us be strong for each other in defending it.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!