Sorry to be so late. This was done at 5:30 am Hawaiian time but did not get my computer internet connected until 5:30 PM when Nick (DeGaetano) and I returned from a marvelous trip to the island.
Sitting alone as the full moon disappears behind a range of cliffs at nearby Hilo island, my quiet time with God is good. Just the sound of water cut by the ship’s bow. I bring to mind the gospel story of the kingdom ... the many different ways that Jesus tries to make it real for us in our world today. Just what is the kingdom of God for me, for you, today?
The kingdom surrounds us. It envelopes us. Not just occasionally but 24/7. I think of the fisherman as I look at the deep blue waves that have become clearer as the sun brightens the morning. He throws out his net to pull in what is before him but not so clearly there for him. He sorts what he gathers in his net. Some is good; some, well, seemingly not so good.
So what is in the kingdom of God as I see it today for me in my world? First of all, as a priest, my life has been filled with the treasure of friends. Blessed am I among so many wonderfully different kinds of people I can call my friends. Each of them, each of you, is the voice of God. What a treasury in a vocation. In this gift alone the journey of my particular vocation serving the Church first for many years as a Jesuit and now for almost twenty years as a diocesan priest, or as a brother of mine says "an ordinary priest" is truly like a cruise.
I consider the many different people that have become a part of my history; the many states of life these wonderful people shared and continue to share with me. This is really the kingdom at work around me. Everyone is a grace from God to me. The poor that have come seeking help be it the "bag lady" or the disheveled "street guy." these are strange message bearers in our rather affluent world. These people have walked the street with me and I have walked with them. But why is, I ask, why is it that these folks threaten or frighten so many of us? "The poor you will always have with you."
Then there are the other, maybe not so financially poor, but struggling to taste some of the milk and honey God has promised us in his kingdom. How many different ways have I heard these voices saying "Father, can you spare a dollar? ... Why are my days not filled with that peace and joy you priests and ministers speak about?" Aren’t these kinds of questions just another expression of the question that scares so many of us: "Can you give me a few dollars so I can get a bus to some other destination?"
Aren’t these the same question? It is a call for reassurance. It is an ask for guidance to a peace of soul. Isn’t it simply an ask for friendship? And these kind of folks are just a part of what the treasury of the kingdom is for us today whether we are priest or not. It is the ask to allow entrance into a life in God’s kingdom which I am supposed to have, that I am expected to share.
For me these are some thoughts about the kingdom of God around me today.
