Thy Kingdom Come

Look Within 2003
46” x 42”
Oil on Canvas
Brian David Smith

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again, taken in part from my Maginificat today:

there are many situations in our personal life which are quite beyond our control. We need help from someone else, but often there is no one to help. We find ourselves in situations of distrust, prejudice, intransigence, and opposition, and we are simply unable to cope with them.

It is then that we approach an ultimate experience of sin. We are able to see, feel, and touch its effects on our lives, but the real understanding of sin comes when we are completely unable of ourselves to deal effectively with it. Yes, we experience the effects of sin, and we also experience our inability to redeem the situation. We say with St. Paul: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?" (Rom. 7:24).

Jesus came precisely to bring a power that dispels sin when we experience it in our life. He came and established his kingdom, that arena of life in which the power of God can put man beyond the grip of sin. The "good news" is that we can step into the power of Jesus at any time, because "the kingdom of God is very near to you" (Lk 10:9). Jesus brought the kingdom with Him, and He preached it in a way that left no doubt about its reality: "You must know, the kingdom of God is among you" (Lk 17:21) Jesus showed His power unmistakably when He was among men, and this power which overcame sin and cast out evil was in effect the kingdom itself: "If it is through the Spirit of God that I cast devils out, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you." (Mt 12:28)

...The kingdom of God is here, and it works in us and through us to the degree that we put it to work through faith.

(emphasis added)

~~Father Quentin Hakenwerth, S.M.

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how many of us actually call upon the Kingdom of God to fight our own personal sins?

i am incredibly and tremendously weak in a certain area and have a two very dear friends to call upon when it becomes overwhelming for me...in fact, i am usually in the pit when i make that phone call (like i was today). hell, i've even left voice mail messages on my friend's answering machine at work so i have a level of accountability; that is, when i *feel* like being held accountable.

why is it i do not call upon the Kingdom of God when that *thing* comes up in me? why am i so eager and anxious to pursue it, so much so that it becomes almost obsessive-like in nature, when i have an entire Kingdom of God to help gird me against the battle?

and yet, why is it that i feel i am walking this walk alone?

if the Kingdom of God is very near to me -- and it is scriptural and i believe the Word of God is truth -- then please Lord, please.

make haste to help me.