Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the gospel, there are a few phrases that helped me a lot. One of them says, “Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” A flock in the church is not made up of masses of people. It is a small tiny group. A small flock is more at the mercy of others rather than a very big flock. It is also more cared for by the shepherds since each sheep is known in a deeper way. The Lord is saying you are part of a small flock of his favorites. He says, don’t be afraid it is the Father’s will to give you the kingdom of heaven.
The Father wants to give me the kingdom but what must I do to inherit it? Nothing, absolutely nothing! We have already received so much, so very much, that more will be asked as the gospel says. The greatest gift he has given us is his love. He has given us his son, Jesus Christ. He has given us the Church. He has given us a community, the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. What more can they give us?
We all know people who don’t have the Church, who don’t experience the love of God and who don’t hear the good news, who don’t have a community, who have not received the forgiveness of sins nor the Holy Spirit. The lord has given you everything so that you may have the Kingdom, which means you will be willing to take a risk. We don’t need to do anything, but we always hear a word a word that invites us to risk, which is to love. Today we hear sell your possessions and give alms. You can fulfill this word! Are you ready to sell your possessions and give alms? Many would say this is nonsense and they would stop listening to the Lord or would only listen to what they like and dismiss the rest.
The Lord said last week, you for this very night, your soul will be taken from you and who will receive what you have accumulated? So, brothers and sisters, isn’t it more important to grow in faith? Where your treasure is? There will your heart be. Where is your heart today? Can you love the lord with all your heart, soul and strength? This is impossible for us, but for God, nothing is impossible. The Lord wants to do this work for you. He wants to make you a Christian and this is why he wants to give you the kingdom. And this is why he has given you everything, the community, the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, the preaching, his body and his blood so that you can be a Christian, so that you could be happy. There’s no other reason.
We all want to be happy to have eternal life, to live forever. Who wants to have cancer today? Who wants his spouse to be unfaithful? Who wants to have wrinkles? All of us want happiness and eternal life so that nothing can destroy us, nothing can kill us. You can be happy living in poverty with wrinkles, or being unfaithful or whatever; you will have life and no longer be dead. You can be like the terminator; whatever part of your body is destroyed it will regenerate. You don’t die. You can be happy not because you live in the clouds or drown your sorrows in pot or beer. You can be happy because you have the kingdom within you, which is to have eternal life. This is why the Father wants to give you the Kingdom so sell your possessions and give alms and make a treasure in heaven.
Open an account in heaven, a savings account or a checking account or hide your deposits in your mattress or wherever. Let’s start making deposits, you don’t have much time left. Sell your clothes and your CDs and give the money to the poor. The psalm says, “Bless the people whom our Lord has chosen as his inheritance.” Where does the Lord want to live? He wants to live in you. Christ is the kingdom, so don’t see the gospel as a threat that he will come and give you many beatings. Be calm because you have received much and take heart and ask the lord to put into practice what you have received. Don’t be like the lazy servant who buried the talent because even that one talent will be taken away. It’s given to someone who has more.
Why do some people change and others not? It is because they have the kingdom within them and and this makes it possible for them to love. Why don’t others have the Kingdom?
Because they don’t listen and have not been moved by the preaching. The Holy Spirit wants everyone to hear a word and what prevents this deeper listening? They have a schema, a plan about how their life should be. Therefore they don’t enter the kingdom. You could be a priest for a 100 years or even the Pope. And if you were stuck on your plan, your projections, you will not have the kingdom within you. Open yourself to the action of the Holy Spirit. Why do some risk and others don’t? there are those who say today is Sunday and business is closed and I know God will provide. Then others will work and work and they are still the poorest in the community. It’s not that they are poor so they have to work on Sunday. But by working on Sunday they are poor. They don’t take a risk. They don’t trust that the lord will provide.
The word says, “Stay awake, keep watch, you don’t know when the Son of Man will come.” The Lord comes like a thief in the night. This means that he comes quickly without warning, not to steal anything from you, quite the contrary, to give you the kingdom. So don’t be afraid to sell your goods and give to the poor and you will receive much more in return. If you don’t have this experience, you will never have faith.
God has given you so much but not compared to what he wants to give you today. Open your heart a little bit, just a crack. And it doesn’t matter that we are weak or poor or sinners, he will make your heart bigger. This is a new moment in your life where you can begin to be holy today!