Father, through our life, may others have a glimpse of your love and character

We are now reconciled to God because of Christ’s atoning death on the Cross. And that’s the good news!  But the fullness of the Gospel goes beyond salvation and the forgiveness of sins. It is also ushers in, the coming God’s kingdom on earth, which is characterized in the Beatitudes, where the existing world order is turned upside down.

The kingdom which Christ spoke about was one in which the poor, the sick, the grieving, cripples, slaves, women, children, widows, orphans, lepers and aliens – the least of these were to be lifted up and be embraced by God. (see Matt 25:40). It is a kingdom where justice is to become a reality, first in the hearts and minds of the followers of Jesus and then through the wider society through their influence. It is a kingdom where Jesus’ followers were to be salt and light of the world. (See Matt. 5: 13-14). They were to be yeast that leavens the whole bread. (see Matt 13:33).

God’s  kingdom proclaimed by Christ was not something distant to be experienced only in the after-life, but rather it was a call for the redeemed people to continue His redeeming work in the world.  It was meant to begin on earth and to be the good news to the world. It was meant to heal the world’s brokenness.

Christ’s great commission to spread the Gospel even to the ends of the earth, was not only about saving as many people for as possible for the next life, but also, a concern for these same people in this life. It was about caring for the least of these and about correcting the injustice that prevails in our world. Focusing exclusively on the after-life reduces the importance of what God expects of us in this life. It was intended to renew our world in the here and now.

Christian life was not meant for us to run away from the world, but rather it was a call to actually redeem the world with Him. It is true,  that first we must repent for our sins and surrender our lives to Christ, but then we are also commanded to go into the world to bear fruit by lifting up the poor and the marginalized, challenging injustice wherever we find it, rejecting the worldly values of our culture, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

In our baptism, Christ has commanded us to take the “Good News” of reconciliation and forgiveness to the ends of the earth. Christianity is meant to spread, but not through coercion. God’s love is meant to be demonstrated, not dictated. Our job is not to manipulate or induces others to embrace Christianity. Our charge is both to proclaim and embody the Gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God’s love in tangible ways.

When we are living our faith with integrity and compassion, God can use us to give others a glimpse of His love and character. It is God - not us -  Who works in the hearts of men and women to forgive and redeem. God is responsible for the harvest- but we must plant, water and cultivate the seeds.

The Gospel calls us to live with generosity towards others, love and care for them unconditionally, stand up for the defenseless, and pay particular attention  to the poorest and most vulnerable. These are things that plant the Gospel in the human heart.

The Gospel is to embrace a revolutionary view of the world, a world  transformed by transformed people - His disciples to all nations - who would usher in, the revolutionary kingdom of God.