Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 1/24

“The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Dear brothers and sisters!

Happy new year! We start this 2021 with a degree of uncertainty and maybe skepticism as we have experienced the troubled 2020. Let us not forget or oversee that it has been a year that has also brought many blessings with the many pains. In this environment, it sometimes becomes easy to lose hope. Our Lord who has never abandoned us, in today’s Gospel as He starts His public ministry, He reminds us of the contrary: The kingdom of God is at hand!!

This is a powerful message! The Kingdom that we long for is closer than we think. This is the Kingdom of justice and peace. The Kingdom where our Lord rules. He says all of this is at hand! It is not far or unattainable. This Kingdom starts in the person of Jesus. He is the one who perfectly embodies it. We are all called to live in Him and that is what is being offered! Here is where we are going to find the peace and justice that we desire. 

Now, it is important to realize that the Kingdom of God might not be exactly the same as the one I visualize. We might desire a kingdom of no pain or comfort. These things are good in themselves but not always the path to peace and justice. That is why the next line is so important: “Repent, and believe in the gospel!”

The path to receiving the Kingdom of God is not asking or demanding from others that they repent. It starts with US! It is I who, before God, needs to recognize what I am doing far from God and change that! Ask forgiveness and believe more deeply in the Gospel. If we start doing that then the Kingdom of God is at hand!

May God continue to bless you!

Fr. Carlos Keen, SCV