It's at Hand!

"Lose 30 pounds in two weeks without dieting or exercising!" Those "come-ons" we see on the internet or in magazines are so alluring, and some people are foolishly taken in every day (I've been known to pause over them). Yet most of us know how misleading these claims are. For Jesus' followers, walking in the light of Christ alerts us to what is falsely alluring, and strengthens us for what is rightly demanding.

Image by the author.

The promise of the "kingdom of heaven is at hand" in today's gospel (Matthew 4:12-23) is alluring indeed. This promise, however is NOT misleading, but rather can be realized in our response to Jesus' commands to repent and follow him. We are to be people of the light, whose way of living reveals that "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Just today, Pope Leo XIV reminded us that "no baptized person is exempt from or indifferent to mission:

everyone, each according to their own vocation and condition of life, participates in the great work that Christ has entrusted to his Church. As Pope Francis repeatedly reminded us, proclaiming the Gospel is an action that is always harmonious, communal and synodal" (Message of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for the 100th World Mission Day, 2026).

We reveal the immediacy of God's kingdom, for example, when we offer light to those trapped in the darkness of doubt, offer hope to those struggling with the shadow of despair, bring the wayward to repentance, affirm others that they are on the path of light and truth. In short, our response to others -- which is our response to Jesus -- reveals God's kingdom is at hand.