The Reign of God
Thy kingdom come.
Reading (Matthew 4: 12-17)
When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
The way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
The people who sit in darkness
Have seen a great light,
On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,
Light has arisen.From that time on, he began to preach, and his message was this:
"Repent, for the reign of God is at hand."
Song (Isaiah 11: 6-9)
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
With a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
Together their young shall rest;
The lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
And the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord.
Reflection
When God created the world he intended that all his creatures would live by the law of love. But man turned away from God, and sin entered the world. And the law of love gave way to the reign of sin.Again and again God sent holy men and women to call his people back to him. But man showed himself to be stiff-necked. No prophet or holy one could bring men to turn back to God on their own, enslaved as they were by the reign of sin.
Finally God decided that he could leave his children no longer in their fallen state. So he sent his own Son into the world to establish the reign of God on earth and reconcile all people to himself. He saved mankind once and for all from the grip of sin and death, and won for all the promise of eternal life.
The reign of God is still in our midst. God continues to be present and active in the world through his Holy Spirit. He is present wherever men and women open their hearts in faith to his word and grace, and allow his law of love to reign in their lives.
Prayer
God our Father, you sent your Son into the world to free us from sin and lead us to your heavenly kingdom. May our faithfulness to his word give witness to the world of the eternal life you have promised to all your people.