And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay (Mt 10:7-8).
Are these words relevant today? How can we proclaim the kingdom of God? We must repent and pray for God’s mercy. And as we begin to radiate God’s love in a deeper way, the rays of His mercy will penetrate our hearts and radiate out to others. We will then be vessels and icons of mercy. Can we do that? Aren’t we all sinners, unworthy of such a task? We must remember that we are all sinners in need of repentance and that God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Look what He did with the apostles and what they were able to accomplish: Peter denied Him three times, yet he repented and became the first Pope! Look at Augustine and his past: He converted after his mother Monica’s years of prayers and became a doctor of the Church! God often chooses the weakest for His greatest works and will use the weak and poorly qualified to shame the qualified and educated and wise.
How do we proclaim the kingdom of God in our daily lives? Do we “walk the walk” or just “talk the talk?” Do we try to force our opinion on others through harsh words, or do we radiate God’s love and peace through our actions? Is there something “special” or “different” about us that people want to have for themselves? Having the love of God within us allows us to radiate and illuminate God’s love to all we meet.
Let us ponder how we can better radiate God’s love and proclaim the kingdom in our daily lives.