The Kingdom of Heaven is upon us

The trouble with being in a customer service oriented industry is that on some days, no matter what you do, it’s either not enough or you did it the wrong way.  Forget about results—they don’t matter.  What matters is that you must do it the way “they” would have done it, or you haven’t done it at all.  On those days, it takes all the patience I can muster to remain silent, much less try to explain my efforts.  So Thursday’s Gospel hits home for me. (Luke 11:14-23)

Nothing Jesus could do was right for the people around Him. He healed cripples, so He violated the Sabbath; He drove out demons, so naturally He did this by the power of Satan. But Jesus responded to these criticisms calmly. What kingdom, divided against itself could stand? And yet, Satan's kingdom had a clear stronghold in the world around them; they all could see it. But then Jesus told them something surprising. The Kingdom of God had already come upon them.

  It came upon them on a cool winter's night when a child was born to a virgin. It came upon them time and again in the actions Jesus took in the world.

The Kingdom of God comes upon us as well: every time we take a moment out to turn toward God and acknowledge His power and sovereignty in our lives - every time we enter the Church to partake of His body and blood. 

Every time we forget ourselves for a few minutes to help one of our less fortunate brothers or sisters, whether in a big or small way.

The Kingdom of God is here for us - right now - this minute.  We need only claim it for our own and join the joyous company that has God always at the center of their lives, their attention, and their souls. 

I know that I am making it sound simple.  It will be for some, but for others it won't be easy to give up the temptations of the world--not easy at all.  But then again, seldom is anything worthwhile easy.