Seeds for Transformation

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters, We are going to be talking and praying and sharing a lot about the Kingdom of God in the coming months, and certainly we need to be thick in the heart of its labor.  The image of the Kingdom of God is at the heart of Luke’s gospel, which will be our guiding story line for the remainder of “Ordinary Time.”  (Ha!  I always laugh when I say that phrase as a description of a season of the church year.  The only way it is “ordinary” is that every single bit of it is deeply filled with the sacred, holy presence and action of God.  Who ever came up with the description “ordinary”? And yet, maybe that’s its brilliance….hmm….chew on that one for a while!) In my study time, I came, or re-came, across a brilliant description of the Kingdom of God.  It’s from Thomas Moore, Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels.  It goes like this “The kingdom is not a place, not a thing, not an institution, not a membership.  Maybe it is most like an attitude, a way of seeing, a turn of imagination that makes all the difference.” What is your response?  Yes, I ask what is your very personal response?  Does it resonate?  Confuse?  Frustrate?  Titillate?  Invite?  Challenge?  Soothe? This is an essential question, because how we conceive, understand, and live out what we believe and experience to be the Kingdom of God is a central piece to our faith and life journey.  It is central to the ongoing life of transformation to which the gospel invites us daily, even in this, yes, “ordinary time.” I would love for you to share your thoughts, experiences, prayers with me next time we are together.  And if you are interested, Thomas Moore’s book is a very rich, God-breathed exploration of the heart and soul of the gospels.  Would you join me in a prayerful read? With simplicity, gratitude, and great love, Mother Julia