It is fitting that we
worship together as a Christian community on this Labor Day weekend. Because as
followers of Jesus, we have all been called to be laborers for the Kingdom of
God.
*
I went on retreat a few
years ago and heard a priest say that the Universe is God’s family business. We
might call it, GodandSon.com. And
like most businesses its purpose is to produce an end product. The end product
of this family business is the Kingdom of God.
As
followers of Jesus we’ve been hired to be day laborers in that family
business. Our job description was prepared by
Jesus himself and can be found in the pages of the Gospel: in the Sermon on the
Mount, the Beatitudes, the Works of Mercy and in his many parables.
That
job description calls us to use our hands and our feet, our voice and our heart
to build the Kingdom of God. And as Jesus tells us,
that Kingdom is not meant to be in some far off heavenly place; it’s meant to be right here, around and among us.
Mother
Teresa of Calcutta, who this weekend is being canonized a saint by Pope
Francis, knew all about that job description. She walked the talk and lived the
Gospel every day of her life. As a builder of the Kingdom of God, Mother Teresa
is a role model for all of us. Labor Day is a good time for each of us to
examine how well we are doing as a builder of God’s Kingdom.
Building the
Kingdom of God takes more than piety and prayer. Coming to church
and reading the Bible are very important parts of our Christian faith. But
building the Kingdom requires something more. It requires that we listen to
Jesus’ words in the Gospel and act on them; that we make his words come alive
within all the circles of our life.
Building the
Kingdom of God requires that we love and forgive unconditionally; that
we live out the Beatitudes and the Works of Mercy - not just during this Year
of Mercy but every year, every day. It requires that we treat every human being
like we would treat Christ himself.
Building the
Kingdom of God requires that we do more than just follow the rules. Those
rules call us to reject personal sin and to be pure of heart and deed. But we
are also called by Jesus to reject the structures of sin in our society; to
stand up against the social sin inherent in neglect of the poor and the sick,
in racism, and in bigotry in all of its forms.
Building the
Kingdom of God requires that we respect the sanctity of life. We are called by Jesus to
promote a seamless garment of protection for all life: to be vocal
advocates not only for the unborn, but for the prisoner on death row, and the
refugee fleeing violence and oppression as well. And as our Holy Father Pope
Francis has reminded us, we are called to protect the life of our planet, our
environment, and all God’s creatures that live within it.
As we go through
this Labor Day and every day that follows, let us remember and rejoice that we
are laborers in God’s family business. And let us follow the
example of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and commit ourselves to make the world
into a wonderful place, a place filled with peace and love, a place
that will be known from one end to the other as the Kingdom of God.
………………………………………………………………………………..
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
The Gospel of You, The Gospel
of Me: Making Christ Present in Everyday Life
Synchronicity as the Work of
the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-Work-Holy-Spirit-Spiritual/dp/1463518781/
