Go and proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near'

Thursday 14th in Ordinary Time

Gospel text (Mt 10,7-15):

Jesus said to his disciples, "Go and proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. You received this as a gift, so give it as a gift. Do not carry any gold, silver or copper in your purses. Do not carry a traveler's bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or walking-stick: workers deserve their living. When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people in the house deserve it, your peace will be on them; if they do not deserve it, your blessing will come back to you. And if you are not welcomed and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town and shake the dust off your feet. I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than it will for the people of that town".

"Go and proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near"

Fr. Antonio BORDAS i Belmonte
(L’Ametlla de Mar, Tarragona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel invites us to evangelize, it says: “Preach” (Mt 10:7). The announcement is Jesus’ good news, trying to tell us about the kingdom of God, that He is our savior, sent by the Father to the world and for this reason, the only one who can renew us from within and change the society in which we live.

Jesus proclaimed that "the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (Mt 10:7). He was the herald of the Kingdom of God that was present among men and women to the extent that good would advance and evil would retreat.

Jesus wants the whole man’s salvation, in body and in spirit; more so, by the enigma that concerns humanity, which is death, Jesus proposes the resurrection. When someone lives dead for a sin, and recovers the grace, he will experience a new life. This is a great mystery that we begin to experience from our baptism; Christians are called to the resurrection!

A sample of how Pope Francis seeks the good of man: “This "culture of discarding" also has made us insensitive to squandering and food waste. At one time our grandparents took great care not to throw any leftovers. The food that is discarded is like stealing from the poor’s table, from which he’s hungry!”

Jesus tells us to always be bearers of peace. When the priests brings the Communion to a sick person he says, 'Lord’s Peace to this house! ". And the peace of Christ remains there, if there are people worthy of it. To receive the gifts of God's kingdom one needs a good inner will. On the other hand, we also see many people making excuses for not receiving the Gospel.

We have a great task among men, and we cannot fail to preach the Gospel after having believed, because we live it and we want others to live it also.

Source: evangeli.net