LESSON for THIRD Sunday in Ordinary Time

Entering Christ's Kingdom Is a Matter of Trust

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus' first words in the Gospel of Mark are mysterious. He tells us that the time of fulfilment has arrived, and he says, "The Kingdom of God is at hand."

"The Kingdom of God" is one of Christ's most frequently used phrases. He came to establish it; he rules it; and he taught us to pray constantly for its coming: "Thy Kingdom come," we pray in the Our Father, "Thy will be done." Every week in the Creed we profess our faith that this "Kingdom will have no end." Clearly, we can be sure that this concept is central to Christ and Christianity.

In this initial announcement of the arrival of his Kingdom, Jesus gives us the first lesson about what it entails. After proclaiming that "The Kingdom of God is at hand," he adds, "repent and believe in the gospel."

And so, the "Kingdom of God" refers to wherever things are done God's way, wherever his will and his loving heart are allowed to guide people's lives. To repent means to stop doing things our own, selfish way, which is our default tendency ever since Adam and Eve poisoned human nature with original sin. And to believe in the gospel means to trust that God's way, God's will, is always the best choice.

If we trust in the love, wisdom, and power of God, we will have the courage to fashion our lives according to his standards, the ones taught by the Bible and the Church. If we recognize our own ignorance, limitations, and selfish tendencies, we will have the necessary humility to repent.

In other words, if we want to enter this Kingdom and share in its unequalled vitality and meaning, we simply need to trust in God more than other voices (at times, even our own) - over and over again.

The First Apostles Show Their Trust

This trust in God is never unreasonable, even though it is often difficult and hard to understand. Christ's encounter with his Apostles in today's Gospel is a good example.

Jesus had a plan for Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He wanted them to join him in his mission of redeeming the world and conquering the forces of evil. He wanted them to become intimate friends of God, to share the wisdom, joy, and purpose that comes only from that friendship, never from "the world in its present form," which, according to St. Paul in today's Second Reading, "is passing away." But Jesus knew that he couldn't explain all this to them; it was too much for them to grasp. And so, he simply invites them to follow him.

We know from the Gospel of John that this wasn't the first time he had met them. He had already spent time with them and let them get to know him; he even attended the wedding at Cana with them.

He wasn't some fanatic unexpectedly demanding an irrational abandonment of family, career, and previous plans. No, Jesus built up a relationship of mutual knowledge and trust before he invited them to become his full-time disciples. And yet, he still asks them to give up their old ways, to leave behind their fishing nets, those nets which represented their livelihood, reputation, and stability. John and James even leave behind their father and the family business. Why? Because they trusted Jesus; the Kingdom of God had begun to rule in their hearts.

What was the result? They became saints; they changed the course of history. They discovered a purpose, a wisdom, a joy, and a meaning far beyond what their nets and their family business ever could have given them - they entered the Kingdom of God.

Simple Ways to Grow in Trust

Jesus also has a plan for us. He wants us to experience the wisdom, meaning, and joy that come from being full and active citizens of his Kingdom. But for that to happen, we must learn to trust him more.

Only if we cultivate a true, open, heart-to-heart friendship with Christ, as the Apostles did, will we be able to hear and heed his call in our life, to follow the teachings of his Church when everyone else around us, and even our own selfish tendencies, are pointing in the other direction. That friendship is the most important thing because everything else will, sooner or later, pass away.

How can we build that friendship, growing in trust to follow Jesus more closely every day? There is no shortcut, no magic pill, but there are many traditional practices that can help, like beginning each day with a morning offering, ending each day with a brief examination of conscience, and spending at least a few minutes every day reading and reflecting on the Bible.

One practice that used to be common among Catholic families was to keep the family Bible on a stand near the door of the house, whichever door was used most frequently. And then, every time you go out to and come home from work, school, or some other trip, you lean over and kiss the Bible, saying a small prayer, like the beautiful refrain from today's Psalm: "Teach me your ways, O Lord."

Two Times When It's Especially Tough to Trust

Two crisis-situations can be especially challenging to our trust in God. Reflecting on them before the crisis hits, we better prepare ourselves for when it does. The first is when someone we love is stricken with painful suffering.

Our immediate reaction, besides feeling helpless and frustrated, is to wonder why an all-powerful and all-loving God would let this happen. In such times, theological explanations can help, if we have thought about them deeply beforehand.

Theologically, we know that God didn't invent evil. All evil flows from original sin, just like pollution poured into a stream at its source will affect the whole course of the waterway. But we also know that God can bring good out of evil, just as he brought the Resurrection out of the Crucifixion.

When we are faced by this kind of crisis, our best recourse is to kneel in front of a crucifix and pray. There we can also speak with Mary, whose own trust was sorely tested as she watched her innocent Son be humiliated, calumniated, tortured, and executed.

The second type of crisis that tests our trust is when God gives us a special vocation. When he called Jonah to be his messenger to Nineveh, at first Jonah ran the other way. When he called John and James, they had to leave behind their father and the family business.

When God calls us to serve the Church in a special way, through the priesthood or consecrated life, or through dedicating more time, talent, and treasure to God, it means putting our personal plans and preferences in second place. That takes trust. But today Christ is assuring us that it's worth it, "for the world in its present form is passing away," but our friendship with him will last forever, because it is the life of his Kingdom.

During this Mass, let's renew that friendship, and keep it strong all week long. Today Jesus is reminding us that he has a plan for us, a place in his Kingdom much bigger than we can image. When he comes to us in Holy Communion, let's thank him for it, and let's ask for the grace to trust him enough to help his plan come true.