Commentary
The
Kingdom of God is at Hand
Jesus
is in the desert for forty days. So was Israel for forty years.
It
was in the desert where God revealed God's very self and God's plan
of salvation to Israel through the covenant. It was also in the
desert where Israel rejected God.[1]
Now,
in the desert, Jesus, the new Israel, has overcome Satan's temptation
to accept God's plan of salvation.
Thus,
the inauguration of the Kingdom of God.
And
this year, by the way the Sunday readings occurred, we just finished
reading the remainder of Chapter 1 of Mark. For 4 consecutive
Sundays, we learned of Jesus calling people into a community (the
call of the first disciples). With a sense of purpose and urgency,
he goes about proclaiming the Kingdom. We saw him reaching out to
those who are in need. His desire and mission are to bring people to
the wholeness of God's Reign. His words, actions, and attitudes all
proclaim God's time of fulfillment.
Lent
offers us the opportunity to journey through our own desert. There
are things the Lord is inviting each of us to leave behind so as to
embrace the fulfillment of God's Kingdom. What are they?
What
do I need to leave behind in order to embrace Christ's attitude and
way of life, which are the reality of God's Kingdom.
------------------------------
[1]
Frank
Moloney, This
is the Gospel of the Lord: Reflections of the Gospel Readings, Year
B.
Homebush, NSW, Australia: St. Paul Publications, 1993; p. 88.
No comments:
Post a Comment