Dear Saints,

How many times this liturgical year did we ask that God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven? Hundreds? Thousands?

When you pray for something that often, it’s worth a periodic gut-check, just to make sure that (a) you really know what you’re asking for and (b) you’re ready for the answer.

· God’s kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit. Are our hearts set on spiritual poverty, or do we pursue pleasure and popularity?

· God’s kingdom belongs to the meek, the merciful, and the makers of peace. Do we endure offense with quick forgiveness, or do we insist on “justice” for those who trespass against us?

· God’s kingdom belongs to those who are persecuted for his sake. How far are we willing to go to hear and heed his call on our lives?

Jesus tells Pilate he came into the world to testify to the truth, and the truth is this: unlike every other regime in human history, God’s rule is sustained by self-sacrifice. It would have boggled the Roman mind, and very often we don’t grasp it much better. But the simple fact is that in Jesus’s kingdom to reign is to love, even if it costs everything. Are we ready for that?

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ