Church of St. Matthew

A visible expression of God's love

  • Home
  • Mission & News
    • Parish Bulletins & Inserts
    • Staff & Programs
    • Parish Pastoral Council
    • Volunteer Opportunities & Parish Needs
    • Liturgical Ministry
    • Music Ministry
    • Funeral Ministry Opportunities
    • Facility Rental
    • Fall Festival
    • Parish History
      • Our History
      • Fr. Steve Homilies
      • West Side Paintings
      • 50th Anniversary of 1968 Church Fire
      • 50th Anniversary of Our Church Building
    • Men’s Club
    • Rosary Society
      • Funeral Ministry Opportunities
    • Serving Our Neighbor
      • Casa Guadalupana
      • Loaves and Fishes
      • St. Mary’s Health Clinic
  • Worship
    • Mass Times & Reconciliation
    • Worship Online
      • Online Mass videos
    • Funeral Planning and Liturgies
  • Faith & Learning
    • Sacrament of Baptism
    • Faith Formation
    • Community of Saints School: Pre-K through 8
  • Alums-Family-Friends
    • About Alums & Family & Friends (AFF)
    • AFF Committee
    • The Good News newsletter
    • How to Give to Community of Saints School
    • Alums Scholarship Fund
    • Scrip Fundraising
    • Missing Alums List
    • Class Reunions
  • Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
    • Job Opportunities
You are here: Home / Messages from Fr. Bob / Our Journey (Fr. Bob reflection)

Our Journey (Fr. Bob reflection)

Published July 14, 2017

Before embarking on a ship for a cruise, traveling in our cars to a new location, or flying in a jet to a popular tourist spot, many of us will ask our travel agents, search the Internet, and go to our public library for information about our long-awaited trip. And after we receive or find brightly colored brochures, detailed maps, and interesting articles we devour them, committing every bit of information to memory making the new-found knowledge part of who we are before we ever leave our homes.

For the next three Sundays, we journey through the parables of the Kingdom in Matthew’s gospel. On the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1- 23). On the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the Parable of the Weeds and Wheat, the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of the Yeast (Mt.13:24-30). On the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the Parable of the Buried Treasure, the Parable of the Precious Pearls, and the Parable of the Drag Net (Mt 13:44-52). But before embarking on our trip we should take a look at where we are going.

We should know that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke use different expressions for the “Kingdom.” In Matthew’s gospel, the Kingdom refers to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven, is a place beyond us that is sometimes close at hand and at other times far away. A reality we can reach for but never quite get our hands on.

In the gospels of Mark and Luke, the Kingdom refers to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the sovereignty or authority of God. It is an assurance that a power greater than ourselves is taking care of all things.

We should know that the coming of the Kingdom is the main theme of the Christian Scriptures. John the Baptist shouts out, “Do penance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:2). Jesus repeats the same message (Mt 4:17) but adds more. Jesus tells us that the kingdom is a craving, a desire, a hope. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:3). “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mt 18:3).

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom is a location, a place, a physical reality. “Truly I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God” (Mk 14:25). “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet they who are least in the Kingdom of God are greater than John” (Lk 7:28)

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom is a behavior, a way of life, a way of being. “Your Kingdom come, your will be done” (Mt 6:10). “Leave the dead to bury the dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God” (Lk 9:60).

After learning more about the route we will be traveling these next few weeks, I think people will agree with me that there are many meanings and different understandings about the Kingdom. From my experience as a high school teacher I came to the conclusion that when a belief or idea has too many meanings, human beings avoid making any meaning their own. So that while over and over again we hear and pray about the Kingdom we fail to make the Kingdom part of who we are. Nevertheless, throughout history people have challenged us to grasp the Kingdom and make it our own.

In 1894 Leo Tolstoy wrote The Kingdom of God Is Within You. The book reveals Tolstoy’s belief about the Kingdom after his conversion to Christianity. Tolstoy argues that the core teachings of the Kingdom by Jesus have been lost. Tolstoy writes that the Kingdom is within the reach of all of us through passive resistance to evil. Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. were both inspired by Tolstoy’s explanation of the Kingdom.

After reflecting on scripture and reading the work of Tolstoy, I have come to believe that the Kingdom of God is a tone of mind, a state of consciousness. It is a deep human disposition whereby, with the grace of God, we try to become one with God and live according to God’s call. The Kingdom is discovering God within us as well as in others. So yesterday, today, and tomorrow we continue the journey to the Kingdom of God that we began years ago with our baptisms.

Fr. Bob Kelly

  • Share this page to Facebook
  • Share this page to Twitter

Filed Under: Messages from Fr. Bob. Posted by Fr. Bob Kelly

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Twitter

Parish Bulletins

Download bulletins and inserts

Online Mass Videos

Online Masses as individual posts

Recent Blog Posts

Faith Formation news: May 15, 2022

Parish Administrator’s Note – May 15, 2022

Reflection from Father Steve – May 15, 2022

Volunteer Opportunities and Parish Needs for the week of 5-15-2022

Volunteer Opportunities and Parish Needs for the week of 5-8-2022

Men’s Club News May 2022

The WolfGang Concert: 7 pm, Sunday, May 22, 2022

New ministry schedule: send your availablity

Volunteer Opportunities and Parish Needs for the week of 5-1-2022

Volunteer Opportunities and Parish Needs for the week of 4-24-2022

Spring Cleaning on Saturday, May 7, 2022

Volunteer Opportunities and Parish Needs for the week of 4-17-2022

Faith Formation news: Confirmation class receives sacrament on April 9, 2022

April 12: Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary

Men’s Club News April 2022

Lenten Fish Fries 2022: Indoor dining option on April 8 and 15!

Holy Week schedule 2022

Concert on April 9: “Consortium Carissimi” Baroque Ensemble

Join Us in April to Celebrate Fr. Steve Adrian’s 80th Birthday!

Liturgical ministry scheduling for Holy Week

A Prayer for Ukraine

Men’s Club News March 2022

Music at St. Matthew’s

Who will answer the call?

See all blog posts

Blog Categories

  • Advent and Christmas
  • Alums & Family & Friends
  • Catholic Leadership
  • Class Reunions
  • Community of Saints School
  • Community Service
  • Faith Formation
  • Fall Festival
  • Fr. Steve's Reflections
  • Free food
  • Fundraising
  • General News
  • Gospel Readings
  • History
  • Homilies Weekly
  • Job Fair
  • Lent and Easter
  • Liturgical Ministry
  • Maintenance and repair
  • Memorials and Dedications
  • Men's Club
  • Messages from Fr. Bob
  • Music
  • Parish Pastoral Council
  • Pastoral Ministry
  • Prayer and Adoration
  • Reflection
  • Rosary Society
  • Sacraments
  • Scouts
  • The Good News newsletter
  • Vocations/Religious Life
  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Worship
  • Youth Ministry

Site development and design by Schletty Design
Contact if you have trouble using this website or have suggestions for improving it.