Yesterday at Mass,
I looked around the church
and saw the Kingdom of God
right in front of me.
There I stood —
a 65‑year‑old man
whose ancestry never fits neatly
into anyone’s old categories.
At the altar was our visiting priest,
a young African‑American man
in his thirties.
Our cantor lifted his voice
with the warm tones
shaped by a childhood in El Salvador.
Around me were faces
from Nigeria,
from Vietnam,
from the Philippines,
from every shade
and every story.
And I found myself asking:
Where is the Kingdom of God found?
It is found
right here —
in this gathering of nations,
in this family not built by bloodlines
but by baptism,
by grace,
by the call of Christ.
For the ministry of Jesus
is a blessing for all peoples.
The Church teaches it clearly:
the Kingdom is open to all,
the Church is sent to the whole human race,
and God desires every soul to be saved.
So the Lord asks us again:
Will you let Me be God,
even when I act outside your expectations?
Because Jesus envisions a Kingdom
bigger than tribe,
bigger than race,
bigger than history —
a Kingdom made of all
who hear His voice
and follow the one Shepherd
into one flock.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
gather us again into Your wide‑open Kingdom.
Let every face and every story
find a home beneath Your mercy.
Teach us to welcome as You welcome,
to love as You love,
and to follow You as one flock under one Shepherd.
Amen
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