Called to make alive God's Kingdom
Gospel Reflection
My dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:1–7), our Lord Jesus sends out His twelve apostles to proclaim a most important message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
This Kingdom — God’s reign — is not merely a place of peace or comfort. It is the living and active presence of God ruling in human hearts, transforming lives, and inviting us into communion with Him. The Kingdom begins now in the Church, in the hearts of those who follow Christ, and it will be fulfilled in eternity.
Today, we are reminded that we are all part of this mission. Just last Sunday, we heard about Jesus sending out the seventy-two disciples (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20). Now, it’s the Twelve Apostles — the Church’s leaders-in-training — whom He sends. They are sent first to the lost sheep of Israel, not to exclude others, but because salvation begins with Israel and is meant to reach the whole world through them.
And it’s important to notice who these Twelve were: ordinary men — fishermen, a former tax collector, even someone once labeled a sinner. They were not scholars, not saints. Yet they were called, formed, and sent.
You too are called. You don’t need to be special or perfect to be part of God’s mission. Your baptism is your commissioning.
What is this mission? To proclaim in word and in deed that the Kingdom of God is near. In our world today — full of fear, injustice, and selfishness — people are hungry for hope. Our lives must offer a living alternative — a way of kindness, mercy, truth, and justice. A way of life that shows God is truly in charge.
But let’s not make the mistake of thinking this is all by our own effort. We don’t build God’s Kingdom by human strength alone. It is God who brings His Kingdom. Our role is to respond to His grace — through daily conversion, prayer, service, and love.
Brothers and sisters, we are holding a great treasure in our hands: God is with us. But we also carry a great responsibility: to make Christ present and be felt wherever we go. In our families, in our workplaces, in our communities — through our words and our actions — let us reveal to others that God is alive, and His Kingdom is here.
May it be that, in our simple obedience, in our faithfulness to Christ, and in our everyday lives, we ourselves become living signs that the Kingdom of God is truly at hand.
Photo by Shaojie on Unsplash
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
My dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:1–7), our Lord Jesus sends out His twelve apostles to proclaim a most important message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
This Kingdom — God’s reign — is not merely a place of peace or comfort. It is the living and active presence of God ruling in human hearts, transforming lives, and inviting us into communion with Him. The Kingdom begins now in the Church, in the hearts of those who follow Christ, and it will be fulfilled in eternity.
Today, we are reminded that we are all part of this mission. Just last Sunday, we heard about Jesus sending out the seventy-two disciples (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20). Now, it’s the Twelve Apostles — the Church’s leaders-in-training — whom He sends. They are sent first to the lost sheep of Israel, not to exclude others, but because salvation begins with Israel and is meant to reach the whole world through them.
And it’s important to notice who these Twelve were: ordinary men — fishermen, a former tax collector, even someone once labeled a sinner. They were not scholars, not saints. Yet they were called, formed, and sent.
You too are called. You don’t need to be special or perfect to be part of God’s mission. Your baptism is your commissioning.
What is this mission? To proclaim in word and in deed that the Kingdom of God is near. In our world today — full of fear, injustice, and selfishness — people are hungry for hope. Our lives must offer a living alternative — a way of kindness, mercy, truth, and justice. A way of life that shows God is truly in charge.
But let’s not make the mistake of thinking this is all by our own effort. We don’t build God’s Kingdom by human strength alone. It is God who brings His Kingdom. Our role is to respond to His grace — through daily conversion, prayer, service, and love.
Brothers and sisters, we are holding a great treasure in our hands: God is with us. But we also carry a great responsibility: to make Christ present and be felt wherever we go. In our families, in our workplaces, in our communities — through our words and our actions — let us reveal to others that God is alive, and His Kingdom is here.
May it be that, in our simple obedience, in our faithfulness to Christ, and in our everyday lives, we ourselves become living signs that the Kingdom of God is truly at hand.
Photo by Shaojie on Unsplash
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