by Tim Dolan
There are many references in the Bible referring to the “Kingdom of God” even at the very end of Jesus' earthly life as He stands before Pontius Pilot: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilot asks. Jesus responds in the affirmative. In Mark 4:10-12 the inner circle of disciples requested Jesus to tell them parables and He said, “To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those outside all things are done in parables...”
All this points to the esoteric nature of the kingdom of God. Esoteric refers to hidden spiritual teachings or “Gnosis.” Some people take exception that there should be anything obscured in the Christian teachings and that it must all be simple enough for a 5-year-old to understand. The mystery of the kingdom is more of what Jalaluddin Rumi termed, 'an open secret' — that when one truly opens oneself to truth and goodness in humility, then the truth is revealed.
The nature of the kingdom of God is a life long journey of discovery and practice for those of us on the Christian path. We should not be distracted or diverted by worldly kingdoms that compete for our loyalty. Presently trust in authority is at an all-time high, with people lining up to defend one political party or the other. One side wants to completely silence the other party. Families are divided according to their affiliation with opposing camps. Sometimes we are lucky and a ruling party will be acting in harmony with life-serving values and other times not. Everything should be measured against what furthers the kingdom of God and what does not.
I remember the beginnings of the Peace Corps where young people were recruited to help less fortunate people in other parts of the world, which was life serving. In contrast you see governmental blockades of food, medicine, energy, and building materials to vulnerable countries in efforts to dominate them. And in other instances, sadly, bombs are dropped.
Beware the rise of 'medical authoritarianism' in our home country, surveillance, and control. Let us keep our eyes on the prize which is a heart guided by the spirit of the Living Christ. Judge all things by their fruits.
— Tim Dolan is chair of Pilgrim’s Spiritual Life Committee