Friday, December 3, 2010

"The kingdom of heaven is at hand"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:35-38.10:1.5-8.
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."
Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
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.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.


Commentary of the day : Saint Cyprian
"The kingdom of heaven is at hand"
«Thy kingdom come» (Mt 6,10). We seek also that God's kingdom be manifested to us, just as we ask that his name be sanctified in us. For when does God not reign, or when does that begin in him that both always was and does not cease to be? We petition that our kingdom come which was promised us by God, which was acquired by Christ's blood and passion, so that we who formerly served in the world may afterwards reign with Christ as Lord, as he himself promises and says: «Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world» (Mt 25,34).

Indeed, most beloved brethren, even Christ himself can be the kingdom of God whom we daily desire to come, whose coming we wish to be quickly presented to us. For since he himself is «the resurrection» (Jn 11,25), because in him we rise again, so too the kingdom of God can be understood as himself, because in him we are to reign.

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