Actualizing the Kingdom of God in Our Parish
Dear Friends,
Our Gospel reading this weekend purports that the kingdom of God is an inaugurated reality. It is unfolding upon us. This inauguration signals the sending of 70 disciples to do the proclamation; thus, the purpose of commissioning.
In inducting his disciples to a mission, Jesus begins by employing the farming metaphor, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” By these words of commissioning, the disciples know that they, like Jesus, must be on their way. They have a great task to do, that is, a kingdom to proclaim.
The disciples’ task is ours, too. As Catholics, we continue the mission to actualize the Kingdom of God, especially and locally in our own parish. This is very urgent in our parish. Aware of the dwindling amount of attendance in Sunday Masses, we need “laborers” to bring “harvest” to our Church. To “labor” for the “harvest” in our parish is everyone’s task because we are all commissioned to make disciples by virtue of our baptism. It is my hope and prayer that we all act with a sense of urgency in carrying out the task toward the actualization of God’s Kingdom in our midst as our parish mission.
Fr. Bart
Parochial Vicar
