Discovering the Kingdom of God

Feast of the Transfiguration
Today’s Readings: Dn 7:9-14; Ps 97; Pet 1:6-19; Mk 9:2-10 [Link]

The other day, Maggie and I were out at Middle Fork hiking around the trails. We both really enjoy it out there. When you come into the park, there’s a sign that says that you’re supposed to keep all pets on leashes, but I must confess to a case of selective blindness when I pass that sign! Sign? What sign? She really does get a kick out of having a place where she can run free.

The thought came to me as we walked through the woods that morning that Maggie really lives in two separate worlds. On the one hand, she lives in a human world. She comes when I call her. She eats what I put in front of her and when I decide it’s time. She’s careful about going outdoors to do her business, because she’s learned that humans apparently don’t appreciate you-know-what all over the floors and carpets.

But then on the other hand, she also lives in a dog world. When we’re out in the forest preserve, Maggie knows that if she spots an animal, she can take off after it—through the bushes and cockleburs, and even across the river if she wants. In her doggie world, she happily laps up water from muddy puddles if she’s thirsty... and if she’s lucky enough to come across a dead animal, well, she loves to roll around through the remains.

The interesting thing is, we humans also live in two distinct worlds. There’s our familiar earthly world, of course. And then there’s the kingdom of God. Believe it or not, we’ve got our feet planted in both these worlds—the earthly realm and the heavenly realm—at the same time.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus keeps telling us about the kingdom of God. It seems like he’s always explaining what it’s like: it’s like a giant mustard plant grown from a tiny seed… it’s like a treasure buried in a field that we’d sell everything to own… it’s like a dragnet filled with every kind of fish from the sea… it’s like a pearl of great price… it’s like a huge banquet to which everybody is invited.

He also keeps impressing upon us that this kingdom is already here among us. If we don’t see it, it’s because we’re not looking the right way.

The kingdom of God, as most of know from personal experience, can indeed be hard to see. At best, we may be only vaguely aware that there’s any kind of reality beyond the world we can perceive with our five senses. Nevertheless, sometimes God steps into our lives with something of a bombshell to wake us up… maybe a miracle or some kind of mystical experience.

Occasionally you hear about a person who’s had a real close call in life, or a near-death experience. That may be all it takes for them to re-evaluate their life and change it for the better. You might run into a Mother Teresa or some other living saint who impresses you so profoundly that you decide to radically alter your own life so you can be like that, too. This is definitely dramatic, but for some people it happens this way. Or, maybe you had a freaky-beyond-words experience like the three apostles who witnessed Christ’s Transfiguration. People we call mystics sometimes have experiences like that.

But as for the rest of us regular folks who for the most part live ordinary lives, things like that don’t happen too much. So how do we connect with this other world? Jesus tells us that people like us have to have faith that the kingdom of God exists. We have to have faith to see it. And the pathway to this other world—the kingdom of heaven—is through our belief and our life in the Spirit.

In the gospel, the Father says: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

That, my friends, in a nutshell, is the way to the kingdom of God: listening to Jesus with ears of faith.

We are so blessed to have the very words of Jesus that have been preserved for us. You find them in the four gospels. One of my favorite bibles has all those words printed in red ink. If all you did was to read those red words, you’d have a pretty good idea of how to find the kingdom of heaven and how to take part in it—not just when you die, but here and now. I can’t imagine anything better or more fulfilling or more joyous than walking through life with Jesus Christ at your side, knowing that he’s there for you 100% and 100% of the time.

Sometimes Jesus’ words may seem backwards or confusing. Blessed are the poor… Doesn’t he mean that it’s better to be rich? Gotta think about that. If someone strikes you, turn the other cheek… Now wait a minute: doesn’t he want us to stand up for ourselves rather than be just a human doormat? Hmmm… better think about that, too. Love your enemies… Pray always… Courage! Don’t be afraid… Come to me if you’re carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest… Don’t judge others lest you be judged… and about 50,000 other things that often take some reflection to sort out.

Obviously, the kingdom of heaven is a very big place. I think it would take more than an eternity to explore it all… but that’s OK. Our first job is to get our toe in the door and to start to look around and invite others to come have a look, too.

Don’t be thrown off if somebody tries to put you down. Just pray for them and stick to the path God is calling you to. In my Father’s house there are many rooms…

I love how Peter says it today. He says: You will do well to be attentive, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. In other words, discovering your way into the kingdom means that you stop stumbling around in the dark and instead find the brilliance and safety of the light.

Over the next few days, I encourage you to lift up your heart to Jesus. Pick up your bible and start reading his life-giving words that were spoken just for you. What an amazing kingdom awaits…