HOMILY WEEK 11 06 – Year I
Seeking the Kingdom and Righteousness of God:
Optional Memorial of St. Romuald
(2 Cor 12:1-10; Ps 34; Mt 6:24-34)
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“But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
This one sentence from today’s gospel provides us with a clear message and mandate: the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God must be the focal point of our lives as followers of Jesus.
The kingdom of God is why Jesus came into this world – to inaugurate that kingdom here and now, to initiate a new creation, an in-breaking of heaven here on earth. It was his main focus, and what he preached about the most, especially through the many parables he shared with his hearers.
The kingdom of God is also the focus of my motto as a bishop, “Regnum Dei Intra Vos” taken from Luke 17:21, which means “The Kingdom of God is among you.” It is meant to be a very present reality, enwrapping us in its breath and depth. We don’t have to wait to go to heaven – we are meant to be experiencing a bit of heaven here and now, through our faith in God’s love for us and our response of loving others as Jesus has loved us.
For St. Paul, that kingdom is the peace, joy and justice of the Holy Spirit given to us as a free gift. Peace is more than a passing emotion – it is a gift of the Holy Spirit and a slice of heaven. Joy is also more than a fleeting emotion – it also is a gift of the Holy Spirit and also a portion of heaven already ours to have and live. And justice is a right relationship with God, all other people in our lives, our selves, and also all of God’s creation.
That notion of justice brings up the last part of Jesus’ message – seeking only the righteousness of God. What is that “righteousness” that is central to the kingdom of God? Along with the “justice” already described, I believe it involves the very being or character of God, the values of God, the way God operates, thinks, feels and acts. We are to become icons of God here on earth, as the Israelites were to have been. For St. Paul, that way that happens is for us to become more and more Christlike. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul describes how we are, “with unveiled faces, like looking into a mirror, being transformed from one degree of glory to another, through the Lord who is Spirit.” So, this “righteousness” of God is actually the result of the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, at work within us through faith and prayer.
That is what we see happening in the first reading, as St. Paul attempts to share with us what is indescribable – his experience of a vision or mystical revelation of heaven itself that was given to him, which was also given to some of the saints, probably to a lesser degree. One such saint would be Catherine of Sienna. Here is a description of one of her experiences:
After communion Catherine would often fall into an ecstatic state, sometimes for lengthy periods. She would lose all sense of where she was. Her skin would turn pale, her arms and legs would become rigid. Frequently, mass would end and other worshipers would get up and depart, leaving Catherine in the shadow of a pillar, rigid and unseeing. The lay brother waiting to lock up the church would come by, jangling his keys as a hint to leave. On one occasion, two lay brothers, after calling into her ears and pinching her arms in an unsuccessful effort to wake her, picked her up and deposited her outside the front door of San Domenico. She came to her senses lying on the ground in the noon sunlight.
While you and I cannot expect to be graced with such experiences as these spiritual giants, it is still exhilarating to think that we can look forward to the same experience in the next life, the Parousia. In the meantime, we are given a small taste of that experience through the consolations that God will give us from time to time, as we persevere in prayer and charity, as did all the saints.
Consolation and desolation are a normal pattern of any serious follower of Jesus. Times of desolation are not depression, but spiritual movements within us reminding us of what life is like without God’s felt-presence in our lives, to stir us up to deeper faith. Moments of consolation are given to us a privileged experiences of a taste of heaven to strengthen our faith, give us greater hope, and sustain us during those times of desolation.
Another saint who may have experience some of that consolation like Paul and Catherine is St. Romuald. Born into a family of the dukes of Ravenna about the year 950, Romuald founded the Camaldolese Benedictines around 1012. The congregation combined monastic community life with the solitary life of hermits. Romuald practised austerity as a monk and travelled about Italy founding hermitages and monasteries, giving counsel to those who sought him out. He died on this day in 1027.
For those who have strong faith, the Eucharist can be a moment of consolation, an intimate communing with our God through Word and Sacrament. We listen to the Word of God, and believe humble gifts of bread and wine are transformed by the power of the Spirit into the very body and blood of Jesus, a miracle in itself and a foretaste of the eternal banquet we will share with God in fullness someday.
May our celebration strengthen our faith in the profound mystery of God’s presence among us, and empower us to seek only the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.
