THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Heb. 10:32-39, Ps. 36, Mark 4:26-34

The kingdom of God "is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade" (Mark 4:31-32). 

The famous parable of the mustard seed is a parable of the kingdom, describing what it is like. The kingdom of God is both present and future. It entered the world at the coming of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, incarnate but once on earth as a man. It is now growing in the world as a seed grows into a plant. At the end of the world, it will be very great, like a large shrub in which birds can nest. The final stage will be at the Parousia, the second coming of Jesus Christ in great power and glory on the clouds of heaven in great light to consummate all things.

The Jews were expecting the kingdom of God to come at the end of the world, when it would destroy all other kingdoms and be established as a universal kingdom over the whole earth that would a last forever (Dan. 2:35, 44). It was therefore difficult for them to understand that this triumphant kingdom had come in Jesus Christ. So Jesus uses this parable to explain to them that the kingdom of God, which was present in him and which seemed so insignificant, was nonetheless the kingdom of God that they were awaiting, and in the future it would indeed be great, just as they had imagined. The mystery of the kingdom is that this great and glorious kingdom is already in the world in a hidden way the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. It is now gradually growing in the world, but at the second coming of Christ it will appear in all its grandeur.

We live in between these two comings, between the incarnation and the Parousia. We live in the kingdom of heaven on earth in a hidden way by faith. We experience it spiritually, but its power remains invisible to the world. Christ cleanses our consciences and bathes us in his blood sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. He removes from us the burden and pain of guilt for our sins when we believe in him. This is the greatest fruit of the presence of the kingdom of God now in our midst-a clean and happy conscience.

The consummation of the kingdom of God at the Parousia or second coming in glory of our Lord Jesus Christ also has its fruit in our present life of faith. It gives us hope and focuses our life on the coming glory. This hope should characterize the way in which we live in the present, in joyful expectation and eager preparation for the coming glory. We want to live in the spell of this expectation, always prepared, watching and praying. We want Christ to find us thus when he comes, "watching in prayer, our hearts filled with wonder and praise".. So we avoid not only sins, but also the attractions, distractions, and temptations of the world, in order not to fall out of this spell of joyful preparation and eager expectation for his glorious coming. We want to be always prepared, for he can come at any time.

THE WAY OF HEROD OR JOHN THE BAPTIST

Heb. 13:1-8, Ps. 26, Mark 6:14-29

"And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head" (Mark 6:26-27). 

Here we see that John the Baptist acted correctly in telling King Herod that it was not right for him to have the wife of his brother; but for saying this the king arrested, imprisoned, and finally beheaded him. On the other hand, we see the weakness of King Herod who was afraid of his guests at a banquet and so in order not to look bad before them, ordered John beheaded during the banquet to satisfy a girl who had pleased him with her dance. Herod did what he himself knew was wrong because he feared the judgments and words of his guests if he did not fulfill his promise to give this girl whatever she asked for. She asked for John the Baptist's head, and in order not to break his promise and oath to her and to look good before his guests, he ordered John beheaded.

Whom are we going to imitate, Herod or John the Baptist? Are we going to do what is wrong in order to appear well in the eyes of others, and because we fear their judgments and words if we do what we know to be correct? Or am I going to imitate John and do what is right but be considered by others as a strange person? Most people just imitate what they see everyone else around them doing. Few have the courage to be different from their environment. They fear being rejected by the crowd, and so they just go along with the current. They do not go against the current, as John did. They practice cowardly conformism rather than living in a heroically virtuous way. To live a heroically virtuous life is the work of the saints. Few choose this way of holiness. Few choose the way of life; most choose the wide, easy, and well-worn way of destruction, the way of the world, the way of worldliness, the way of cowardly conformism to the secularized world around them. But St. Paul says, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Rom. 12:2). Few choose this narrow way of life. "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it" (Matt. 7:13-14).

The way of Herod is the way of those who are afraid to do what is right. The way of John is the way of those who have the courage to do what is right despite the opposition and judgments of others. The way of John is the way of the saints who live in a heroically virtuous way. The way of Herod is the way of the world. The way of John is the way of the few; the way of Herod is the way of the many. The way of Herod is the way of destruction; while the way of John is the way of life. There is no virtue in simply imitating the worldliness of the world around us. This is nothing other than cowardly conformism. But there is great virtue in going against the current, when the current is bad.

Which of these two ways will you choose: the way of life, which is the way of the few, or the way of destruction, which is the way of the many?

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS TRANSFORMED HUMANITY
Heb. 10:32-39, Ps. 36, Mark 4:26-34

With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade" (Mark 4:30-32). 

Now, since the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, we who have faith in him and are transformed by him are living in the kingdom of God on earth. Although it appears small now, it is constantly growing in the world and will become very great, like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, becoming the largest of all shrubs.

The kingdom of God is in Jesus Christ, in whom divinity is united to humanity. His divinity divinized his humanity; and by contact with him he divinizes us too, when we believe in him. His divinity enters into our humanity to divinize it from within, when we receive him with faith.  Jesus said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!' or ‘See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you (entos hymon)" (Luke 17:20-21 NKJV). The Greek means "within you." The kingdom of God is within the hearts of those who believe in Christ and love him.

This kingdom is growing now in the world, for it is in the hearts of those that believe in Christ. The Church proclaims this kingdom in the world. It is a kingdom of love and brotherhood, a kingdom of humanity renewed by its faith in Christ, a kingdom of heavenly peace on earth, a universal and everlasting kingdom that will last forever and extend to the ends of the earth (Luke 1:32-33; Isa. 9:7; Dan. 2:35b, 44). Christ is the king of this kingdom. The signs of its presence in the world are the persons justified and transformed by their faith in him.

We try to live more and more in this kingdom by loving our neighbor with the love of Christ and by giving ourselves to the service of our neighbor for love of God. To live in the kingdom we have to love God with all our heart, seeking all our delight only in him.

Our age is the final age, the age of the kingdom of God, the Messianic age, the age of fulfillment and grace, the age of salvation. "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached" (Luke 16:16 NKJV). "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt. 11:11). There are so many graces in the kingdom of God that even a child in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist, the greatest in the Old Covenant. In the kingdom of God people are transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in Christ are saved humanity that has a mission to transform the world. This movement to transform the human race is the kingdom of God growing in the world. The kingdom of God is God's mission in the world. It is also the Church's mission in the world, and it should be our mission too.

THE LIFE OF PERFECTION
Heb. 11:32-40, Ps. 30, Mark 5:1-20

They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated-of whom the world was not worthy-wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" (Heb. 11:37-38). 

The Letter to the Hebrews speaks here of the times of persecution in Israel when it was necessary to live in the desert and in caves. This happened especially in the time of the Maccabees, when "Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: ‘Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant, come out with me!' And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city" (1 Macc. 2:27-28). And "Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so that they might not share in the defilement" (2 Macc. 5:27). These were people of faith who fled from the city, from the world, to live for God alone in the desert.

Later John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judah, where he had lived from his youth. "And he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel" (Luke 1:80). And "John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey" (Matt. 3:4). He too lived in the desert for God alone, far from he pleasures, fine food, distractions, and noise of the world.

Until the present day there are those who leave the world to live for God, with a completely undivided heart. "They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated-of whom the world was not worthy-wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" (Heb. 11:37-38).

This is the life of perfection, the consecrated life, the sanctified life, the life of evangelical poverty, a life of great simplicity for love of God. It is a life of simple, basic food, only what is necessary to sustain life and maintain health, where one renounces all else, all that is only for pleasure, so that one may seek all his delight only in the Lord, not in the unnecessary pleasures of the world. The more one renounces the unnecessary pleasures of the world for love of God, the greater will be the love of God that fills his heart and whole being.

This is the life of perfection, to which Jesus called the rich young man: "Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven'" (Matt. 19:21). It will be difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven if one lives in pleasures as a rich man. "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:23-24).

This life of perfection will receive a hundredfold reward, for "everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life" (Matt. 19:29 NKJV). Thus many who are first in the world will be last in the kingdom of God; while many who are last in this world-because they have renounced all for the love of God-will be first in the kingdom of God, for "many that are first will be last, and the last first" (Matt. 19:30). Let us therefore be last so that we may be first.