“Get your act together before it is too late” or “look again - the reign of God is already
here”?
These words are laden with negative connotations. We may have an image of ourselves in sackcloth and ashes waiting for an impending judgement. The words may seem to say, “Get your act together before it’s too late.”
But what if the words are not a warning but
a description of a breathtaking reality God does not want us to miss? What if the reign of God is already accessible to us right now, and we are just not seeing it?
Maybe the kingdom of heaven (or reign of God) is near at hand is another way of saying: “God is in all things.” But we need a new way of seeing. We are so obsessed with all that is going wrong around us, and there is plenty, that our eyes only
see the surface of reality.
What if there is a reality beneath the surface where we can already encounter and abide in God? What if we are called to put on new glasses and to realise that God is both with us and within us? What if we noticed the gifts of nature, the wonder of season changes, the miracle of the birth of each child, and the courage of so many who are fighting for justice – from the women of
Afghanistan to the Gift of the Givers?
What if we pause long enough to experience that we can sense God’s presence within moments of quiet or the pull of grace in what we feel drawn to do that helps others?
I believe Jesus’ ‘repent’ asks us to choose life and respond to our deepest desires. Ilia Delio says: “Conversion of
heart is rooted in desire. What do we want? Do we want to live in fear, anger and distrust? Do we desire life?” To recognise God in our lives is “to realize that nothing can overpower us, for where God is, there is life. God is the light in the darkness, the love that endures all things, hopes all things. Where there is God, there is eternal light, for the sun is always rising on the horizon.”
