The Universe is God's Family Business

Matthew 7: 21

     (Jesus said to his disciples): “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father.”

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     I went on retreat for a day and heard a Jesuit priest tell us that the universe is God’s family business. So I think of it now as ‘GodandSon.com’. God made it with the hope that it would one day grow into a garden filled with peace and love; a place that would be known from one end to the other as the Kingdom of God. But God won’t get what he wants unless we accept his invitation to come into the family business, and work with his son to build that Kingdom.

     Building the Kingdom of God takes more than just prayer, more than just saying, ‘Lord, Lord’. It takes more than just coming to church or reading the Bible. It takes listening to Jesus’ words in the Gospel and acting on them, making them come alive in all the circles of our lives. But his message was hard to hear back then, and it’s hard to hear today: Love unconditionally; forgive unconditionally; turn the other cheek when someone strikes us; treat every human being like we would treat Christ himself.

     Building the Kingdom of God takes more than just saying, ‘Lord, Lord’. We are called to be pure of heart and deed, but we are also called to reject the structures of sin in our society; to recognize the sin inherent in neglect of the poor and the sick; in discrimination, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, bigotry in all its forms — and to stand up against these social sins.

     We are called to respect the sanctity of life but we are also called to promote a seamless culture of life; to be vocal advocates not just for the unborn, but for the residents of death row and the undocumented refugee as well. We are called to treat the least, most vulnerable, most unlovable member of society just like we would treat Jesus himself. Jesus wasn’t kidding around in the Gospel; and he wasn’t just making suggestions.

     Building the Kingdom of God takes more than just saying, ‘Lord, Lord’. Are we kind and peaceful, or do we carry around anger and bitterness? Are we gentle and forgiving of ourselves, or do we bring the burden of self-loathing, whether it is conscious or unconscious, into every relationship we have? Are our doors always open, or are there people whom we have shut out of our hearts and out of our lives because of some deep hurt or disappointment that we just can’t forgive? Are we inclusive, non-judgmental and accepting, or do we look down upon or feel morally superior to others because they are different from us, or represent something we fear or dislike? We can’t be about God’s family business unless we are building his Kingdom.

     ‘Lord, Lord,’ is a nice salutation but Jesus never stood on formality. Instead, he is counting on us to help him turn the universe into a beautiful garden for his dad, a garden filled with peace and  love,  a place  that  will be known from  one end to the  other as the Kingdom of God. Let us be mindful as we open our eyes on each new day that God is once again calling us to join him and his son in the family business.

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Readers of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:

Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life

Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry