YOUR KINGDOM COME
16 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

I was reading this story from the life of Bl. Theresa of Calcutta. One day, on the way to school where she was teaching, Bl. Theresa saw a dying man on the street. He seemed to be abandoned and helpless. She felt pity for him. Like the Good Samaritan, she nursed him and took him to a care center. She had a similar experience in the following week. These experiences made her to reflect…Little by little she realized that God had placed in her heart a compassion for the abandoned. She did not ignore that feeling. She reinforced it by responding to every similar situation. The tiny seed of compassion grew big. Bl. Theresa became a universal symbol of compassion and kindness….

Today Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom? Obviously, it is not a territory, a social or a religious structure. It is reign of God in human hearts. It is a situation where God’s will materializes here on earth as it is in heaven. It is a situation where peace, justice and fellowship flourish.

Kingdom of God does not happen all of a sudden. Kingdom becomes a reality when every individual person finds out his/ her God given virtues and uses it for the good of the community. The truth is that every person has some divine sparks in him/ her. It may not be very explicit. Like a mustard seed, it may be very tiny. However, if we nourish it, like a mustard seed it has the potential to grow big. Bl. Theresa was not born as a symbol of compassion. She discovered her gift, nurtured it and used it for the good of the community.

What is the gift that I have? Every gift whether it is small or big has a social dimension. The gift is given in view of a community. Even if you do not have any gift, believe me you yourself is the gift. Your presence, the way you conduct yourself….can inspire and bring hope to many. When we recognize it then the Kingdom of God takes root in our society.