Kingdom of God

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi


And after these things the Lord appointed also other seventy-two: and he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send labourers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way. Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.

And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city you enter, and they receive you not, going forth into the streets thereof, say:

Even the very dust of your city that cleaveth to us, we wipe off against you. Yet know this, that the kingdom of God is at hand. I say to you, it shall be more tolerable at that day for Sodom, than for that city.
Luke 10:1-12 (Douay-Rheims)

Prayer

Dear Father it's hard to imagine going around saying the "kingdom of God is at hand." At least in our time it is. They are looked upon as sick people. Not so in the time of Jesus though. He was there in fact, so the truth was proclaimed at that moment in time. How can it be any different for us when Jesus is also with us in our Tabernacles. We too should be able to say, hey did you know the kingdom of God is at hand in your life, in your Church, at every Mass that is celebrated. What an awesome reality! Dear Father your love is the desire of many hearts. They want to know you, to see you, to feel you. And all they have to do is turn their hearts to you and think of you as the greatest love that they will ever know. The kingdom of God is at hand when God is in our hearts and not off in the distance of our lives. Make our heart yours for the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. May many find the way to you this day. Amen