HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM
September 8, 2024: A Reflection on the Gospel for the 23rd Sunday in OT, Yr B
Mark 7:31-37
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? (James 2:5)
The Kingdom of God. When we hear those words, what thoughts or images comes to mind? And when you add the words from St. James in today’s second reading that we are heirs of that Kingdom, have you ever thought about just what we are inheriting?
In today’s readings and Gospel, we are given the key to understanding just what the Kingdom of God is and how we may live as members of it and also heirs. Jesus came to inaugurate the Kingdom and to show us by his actions how to enter and live in it. We can recognize it’s members by what they wear. Not by outer garments, but by the inner garments of faith and love of God expressed in how they treat one another. The garments of compassion, kindness, service, going the extra mile for no other reason than truly caring for another because they are a sister or brother, made in God’s image. That is living in the Kingdom.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs us of just what our inheritance consists by his actions. We inherit Jesus himself, in the person of one another. To live in the Kingdom is to live in such a way as to be open to the presence of God in each other and respond in faith. “God chooses the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom,” says St. James. Today we see Jesus’ compassion on the deaf man with a speech impediment. In kindness he takes him away from the crowd to spare him any embarrassment about his disabilities. He becomes the man’s servant by tending to him through his gift of healing. And he asks no recognition for the miracle because his recompense is to share the love he came to bring to the world by coming not to be served but to serve.
When we live as heirs of the Kingdom, open to the healing power of God’s love and compassion in our own hearts and lives and shared by faith and love with each other, “Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.” The Spirit, who binds us together, will gush forth and fill our aching world. Father, may your Kingdom come!