Build the Kingdom of God in your hearts…
Dear Family of Mary!
Today’s Gospel begins with these words:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible….” (Mt 19:23-24)
The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven!! This is our goal and our home forever! But how can we enter it? Jesus tells us that we cannot enter the Kingdom of God if we are rich. We presume He means if we are rich with money, power and prestige. This unholy threesome makes us feel like gods ourselves, without the True God. They create an illusion of a kingdom built by me for me. But it is an illusion for sure.
But there is another aspect of this being rich without God. We can be rich in our own hearts, thinking only of our own gifts, talents, ideas, and preoccupations. We can be so rich in our own self that we don’t have room for God! This is also a danger.
Our Lady speaks to us about the Kingdom of Heaven often. She wants us to firmly plant the Kingdom of God in our hearts and minds as our goal in life, the place we want to be forever! To plant that Kingdom, we must uproot our own inner kingdom and take ourselves off the throne of our lives. She told us:
August 2, 2010 “Dear children! Today I call you, together with me, to begin to build the Kingdom of Heaven in your hearts; that you may forget that which is personal and, led by the example of my Son, think of what is of God. What does He desire of you? Do not permit satan to open the paths of earthly happiness, the paths without my Son. My children, they are false and last a short while. My Son exists. I offer you eternal happiness and peace and unity with my Son, with God; I offer you the Kingdom of God. Thank you.”
She tells us to “forget that which is personal!” Forget the goals and desires of our own little imaginations. “Think of what is of God! What does He desire for you?” We need to embrace God’s gift of life, His future for each of us! That is what is most important! What does God desire???
She tells us: “Do not permit Satan to open the paths of earthly happiness, the paths without my Son.” If we are rich in earthly pleasures and goals, we will be numb to the beauty of Heaven. We will not see the power and glory of God, but only our own fleeting pleasures. Our Lady wants us to wake up to the eternal reality that awaits us!
“I offer you eternal happiness and peace and unity with my Son, with God: I offer you the Kingdom of God!”
Yes, Mother we want to enter that Kingdom. Please lead us to Jesus! And even if we are slow to choose and we find it hard to let go of the world or our own inner kingdom, please pray for us so that what is impossible for men, will be possible with God!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c)Mary TV 2021
