From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
We need to be ready to endure. After all, Jesus said no servant is greater than his master. If he suffered we too will suffer in this life. We can't let that suffering pull us away from the Kingdom. The temptation is to turn toward the world and the comforts it offers. But the only real answer is to turn to Jesus. John suffered violence for his testimony to Jesus. But we who are in the Kingdom, united to Jesus, are in a sense even greater than John. We can suffer not simply as precursors or as witnesses. We can suffer in union with Jesus for the salvation of others.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church (see Colossians 1:24).
The LORD knows us. He has endured what we endure. He has sympathy and compassion for those who suffer for he has experienced the same pain. Although he allows pain for a season and for a purpose, he is drawing us toward the fullness of the Kingdom where pain will be no more.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Even before the fulfillment of this promise we have the opportunity to turn toward God, to choose him over lesser things, and to make straight what was bent out of shape by the sin of Adam and Eve. This is what Saint John of the Cross chose to do. In choosing it he experienced the joy of the fulfillment even here on earth.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
No comments:
Post a Comment