Why God’s kingdom comes slow

TWO friends, a priest and a soap maker, were out taking a walk. The soap maker cynically said, “What good is religion, Father? Look at all the trouble and misery of the world after thousands of years of teaching about goodness, truth, and peace, and after all your prayers and preachings.”

* * * The priest said nothing. They continued walking until they noticed children playing in a muddy canal.

The priest said, “Look at those children. You say that soap makes people clean, but see the dirt on them. Of what good is soap?

* * * The soap maker got peeved and protested, “But Father, soap can’t do any good unless it is used.” “Ah exactly,” replied the priest. “So it is with Christianity or any religion for that matter. Religion is ineffective if it’s not used, if its teachings are not followed.”

* * * Reflecting on the feast of Christ the King today, when Christ came to the world, he inaugurated this kingdom characterized by “justice, love, and peace” (Preface of the Mass of Christ the King). But he left us the task of completing it. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray: “Thy kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”

* * * We might compare God’s kingdom to a plant. Jesus put the plant (kingdom) in the soil. But he left to us the job of cultivating, fertilizing, and watering it.

But when we look around us, we see so much violence and killings, hold-ups, corruption in government and private sectors, political bickering.

* * * In other words, how many of us live out God’s commandments? “You shall not kill.” “You shall not commit adultery…steal.” “You shall not bear false witness,” and so on. * * * Why is the realization of God’s kingdom so slow? And why does Satan’s kingdom seem so powerful and pervasive?

The principal answer is that we are not doing our job of completing the kingdom as well as we should be doing it. * * * As the story of the priest and soap maker illustrates, we are not living up to the teachings of our religion.

* * * ASK YOURSELF: Am I doing my share in building God’s kingdom of justice, love, and peace in my own family, community, and society? Or am I hindering the realization of that kingdom through greed, selfishness, hatred, and vindictiveness?

* * * LAUGH WITH GOD. A man confided to his friend, “I went to see my doctor about my heart ailment. He told me to change my lifestyle. No smoking, no drinking, no meat.”

“So what happened, did you change your lifestyle?” the friend said. “No, I changed my doctor,” he replied. (Isn’t that our attitude too; we change God if we don’t like his prescription for us).

* * * MOVIE BENEFIT FOR SEMINARIANS. The SVD Mission Communications Foundation, Inc., is sponsoring a fund-raising movie – “Star Wars: Last of the Jedi” – which will be shown on December 15, 2017, at the SM Centerpoint Cinema, Sta. Mesa, Manila. The proceeds will go to the educational fund of seminarians supported by the Adopta-Seminarian scholarship program.

* * * May we appeal to everybody to help our project by buying or selling tickets or be a corporate sponsor. Call Brian Deguito at tel. 723-3343 or 726-5002 or e-mail me at belsvd@gmail.com.

* * * BY THE WAY… we sent out solicitation letters to prospective sponsors, buyers, and sellers. May we hear from you?

If we want to have priests, missionaries, and bishops, let’s support our seminarians first.