GROW AS A DISCIPLE
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For most of my life, any time I have heard these words of Jesus, the emphasis has always been on “Repent.” Recently, I’ve started to pay more attention to the second half of Jesus’ proclamation: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Through his coming into our world and the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus’ reign has begun. The signs of his kingdom’s arrival are striking and immediate; we see Jesus “curing every disease and illness among the people.” This is cause for great rejoicing, like the rejoicing we hear of in today’s reading from Isaiah: “Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness … upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” Jesus’ miracles reveal that the reign of darkness, sin, and death is coming to an end; this is good news, indeed! It’s also a major part of our call as disciples. We’re called to pray (“thy kingdom come”) and to work to advance Jesus’ reign on earth.
GO EVANGELIZE
Like the Apostles Peter, Andrew, James, and John in today’s Gospel, we, too, have been called to help build God’s kingdom on earth. We do this in a particular way by continuing the works of Jesus here on earth. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us in Dilexi Te, “The signs that accompany Jesus’ preaching are manifestations of the love and compassion with which God looks upon the sick, the poor and sinners … The Church, if she wants to be Christ’s Church, must be … a place where the poor have a privileged place.” (21) Part of the way we bear witness to the inbreaking of God’s kingdom on earth is to put those who are ill and marginalized at the center of our concern. Then the kingdom of God will be manifest and visible in the world, drawing others to Christ.
SERVE
This week, spend some time researching ways you can work with other Christians to serve the sick and the poor of our world. As we conclude this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (which ends Jan. 25, 2026), there’s no better witness we can offer to the dawn of the kingdom of God than being “united in the same mind and in the same purpose” (as Paul calls us to be today) in serving those in need.
By The Faithful Disciple