The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like
July 30, 2023: A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr A
Matthew 13:44-52
The kingdom of heaven is like … ( Mt 13:44a)
Jesus, your kingdom is like the air breathe. It permeates our existence. It is offered to every person, bidden or unbidden. We recognize your kingdom not by external appearances but by a person’s choices and actions. The helping hand when someone is down. The kind thoughts about another, our words of comfort or encouragement. So many ways it becomes visible and is shared. As you have said in another gospel passage, the kingdom of heaven is within us.
You have created us to be enfleshed spirit. Your kingdom resides within our spirit, and we share the kingdom every time we act in a way that expresses the one to whom we show allegiance. It is a treasure we discover along the pathways of life, a pearl of great price that gives meaning to life.
For all people, the kingdom comes. Whether we are those who search for it or not, it happens to each one of us. It can be a sudden realization in a moment of grace, or some gesture of kindness or love. It comes bidden and unbidden.
Give us the joy of entering into it. Of leaving behind our self-preoccupation and, as Thomas Merton says, “Enter into the general dance.” The dance of the Kingdom of God.
Like fish, we swim in your presence, Jesus. Ultimately, you are the kingdom. Your love and care surround us in a vast ocean of your infinite tenderness and mercy. Help us to share you with all for whom we come in contact. Give us the strength we need to make the choice for you and your kingdom as we walk through each day. And may it be our joy to experience the shared kingdom in each other.