Discipleship and the Kingdom

I

Responding to Our Dilemma

It is truly difficult to watch the evening news or read the internet or daily newspaper with an open heart. Any honest and objective reporting of the events that are truly important has a simple and clear message. Evil continues to hold way in our world. It is no wonder so much of our activity is connected to superficial distractions. Our sense of futility and powerlessness is hard to avoid.

At the very beginning of The Way of Perfection Teresa of Avila also expressed a sense of helplessness about the broken world in her day. She saw a Church lost in mediocrity. The horror of the ecclesial revolt and the ensuing political violence left her feeling powerless. Her response was to enter more deeply into the Gospel. This led to the reform of Carmelite life in the convents emerging from her vision.

The driving force of her effort was the Carmelite saint’s passion to live the Gospel in the most authentic way possible. She overcame a sense of vulnerability in the midst of the world’s violence and hatred and a faith community suffering the neglect of the Gospel values on all sides. She turned to Jesus to free her in this common human dilemma.

“As a result, I resolved to do the little that was in my power, that is, to follow the evangelical commands as perfectly as I could and strive that these few persons (the nuns in her first convent) who live here do the same” (W.1.2).

Teresa understood clearly that true discipleship meant walking with Jesus to Jerusalem. This is the passage from death to life. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mk8:34). The Christian journey opens one to a slow but radical change. There is the total transformation of one’s consciousness, values and commitment. One’s attitude toward money, property and possessions is caught up in the Gospel reversal of first and last, servant leadership and hungering for justice for the least of the brothers and sisters. Discipleship in the footsteps of Jesus opens new horizons in all relationships. Love identifies new understandings of sacrifice and generosity. There is constant movement away from the comfort of self-absorption. A hunger for God’s will regularly leads to less emphasis on the self and more on the other.

Teresa understood the power and beauty of the Gospel revolution. There is a capacity in true discipleship that illuminates the hidden mystery of our life. Jesus is truly the light revealing the mystery of God. Following Jesus is the ultimate choice of good over evil. We do not need to be in a contemplative convent to take advantage of Teresa’s liberating insight. We all feel a sense of helplessness when we truly encounter the evil so prevalent in our world. Whether it be the violence in our streets, the mass murders of gun violence, the presence of poverty over vast areas of our world, the continuing curse of widespread abortion, the enduring onslaught of our world’s environment and this is just the beginning of the list.

Teresa tells us not to surrender to despair and denial. The authentic living of the Gospel message is a singular powerful response that overcomes the paralysis of hopelessness. In the footsteps of Jesus our weakness leads to God’s power. Our darkness gives way to a light. The Gospel patterns of reversal are at our fingertips when Jesus grows within our heart. We joining Jesus in choosing good over evil.

II

Jesus and the Kingdom

When Jesus began his public ministry, the universal longing for the Messiah was the dominant reality. The question of what kind of Messiah soon became a defining element in Jesus’ life.

Jesus knew that the depth of the basic conflict of good and evil would demand that he become a suffering Messiah. As early as Mk3:6 the leaders of all sides began to plot for his death. His passage from death to life, then and now, is the life-giving mystery of the Christian message. Jesus proclaimed, “the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel” (Mk.1:14). In his lifetime, few were ready to accept a Crucified Messiah as the centerpiece of that Good News of God’s love.

There was s second major obstacle to Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom. The people were anticipating a complete transformation by the sudden burst of God’s saving activity. Jesus had a different plan. He insisted that his followers participate by taking up their cross and following him. Discipleship was to be an instrument of the coming of the Kingdom,

Even at the Ascension scene, the first disciples did not understand. They asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom of Israel” (Acts:6)? Jesus told them to let that be in God’s hands. Their task is to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Slowly, they understood that to walk with Jesus meant to live a life of love and service. This life in the footsteps of Jesus will continue to bring the conquering love of God to the battle of good and evil. The coming of the Kingdom continues in the faithful commitment of all followers of Christ and people of good will. Wherever there is love, there is the continuing conquest of hate, division, prejudice and all that dehumanizes. Wherever there is love, no matter how small and hidden, it is like the seed that is the smallest of seeds that blossoms into the tree for all the birds of the sky. (Lk 13:18-19)

All of Jesus’ teachings call for his disciples to share in his saving activity to bring about the long-awaited Kingdom of God. All his teachings lead to a personal conversion and participation in the basic battle between good and evil. The message of the Gospel points to a reversal where “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all…” (Mk 9:35). “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” (Lk 17:33). “For the one is the least among all of you is the greatest,” (Mk 9:48). Likewise, the Gospel message of ever-expanding inclusion of others is evident in “the least of my brothers or sisters…” (Mt 25:40), and the Good Samaritan parable that tells us “Go and do likewise” (LK 10:37). The Gospel task impels us to relentlessly expand our horizons and to tear down our boundaries in overcoming evil and seeking good.

Jesus was clear in the parable of the weeds and wheat. The battle of good and evil will continue to the end. “Let them grow until the harvest…first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn” (Mt 13:30). The disciple’s task is to let one’s life be a witness bringing love, light, truth and healing to a world caught in the darkness, isolation, division and destruction of hatred and selfishness.

“As the Father loves me so I also love you. Remain in my love” (Jn 15:9). This fidelity to the Christian mission is sharing in the saving love of God. This is the fundamental reality of overcoming evil by the ever-expanding presence of love in the human heart. This love demands and produces service. This love compels responsible action. This love has no meaning without concern for the poor and needy. The Christian community will always be expanding the frontiers to include the forsaken and forgotten. There will be action but this action must be rooted love to bring about God’s victory over evil that is the Kingdom.

III

Teresa understood the call of Jesus to participate in the coming of the Kingdom. Teresa saw that truly living the Gospel, even within the apparent severe limits of a cloistered convent, connects us to the power of God. The apparent weakness and hiddenness and withdrawal in the convent all became stepping stones into the Gospel reality of saving love.

Teresa went further. She was clearly prophetic in speaking against violence as an instrument the Kingdom. Teresa envisioned her small group of cloistered nuns to be a powerhouse of love in the fight against evil. Their prayers were to be a source of strength and grace for the proclaimers of the Gospel. She had no place for violence. “For us, I have said it is the ecclesiastical not the secular arm, that will save us” (W.3.2). Teresa saw clearly that it was the power of the Gospel not the power of the cannon that will bring the true freedom that the heart longs for. We have seldom recognized this truth down through or history.

IV

Conclusion

We have found the treasure that was hidden in the field. By simply living our life in faithfulness to the Gospel, we can make a difference. Every act of love, every expression of compassion, each simple display of concern, any movement to reconciliation are all truly our choice of the candle over darkness.

God is in our life. This is the coming of the Kingdom, God’s total free gift. Yet God has chosen us to participate in this revolution of love. Each day we wake up in a specific place with meaningful relationships and clear responsibilities. Our authentic response in love to the concrete situation in our life makes a difference in our world.

We need to understand the power that we have in the ordinary flow of our life. When we continue to walk with Jesus, good things, big and small, keep on happening. This is the task of our daily life: to let God’s love flow through the joys and struggles of our lives in the midst of the on-going battle of good and evil. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus empowers us to make a difference. Whether it is changing diapers or punching the clock, being a good neighbor or a responsible citizen, feeding the hungry or worshiping our God, where there is love evil gives way. The Kingdom is slowly evolving. Peace continues to take root. Justice continues to flourish. The Kingdom is happening!