14. THE LIFE OF JESUS: THIRD LUMINOUS MYSTERY - THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL

APPETIZER:  After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying: 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the gospel.'" Everyone is called to enter the kingdom. To enter it, one must first accept Jesus' word. The kingdom belongs to those who have accepted it with humble hearts. Jesus invites sinners to the table of the kingdom as He said: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." He invites them to that conversion without which one cannot enter the kingdom, but shows them in word and deed his Father's boundless mercy for them and the vast joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The supreme proof of his love will be the sacrifice of his own life for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus' invitation to enter his kingdom comes in the form of parables, a characteristic feature of his teaching.  Jesus accompanies his words with miracles,"mighty works and wonders and signs", which manifest that the kingdom is present in him and attest that he was the promised Messiah. The coming of God's kingdom means the defeat of Satan. (CCC 541-550)

MAIN COURSE: WOW! There is enough in today's appetizer alone to carry us through a whole year of this catechism party! But we'll have to stick to just the highlights and the basics, leaving those who wish to know more to read some of the many books that have been written on the public ministry of Jesus, the meaning of the Kingdom of God, etc. To put it in a nutshell, this Third Luminous Mystery covers the entire Public Ministry of Jesus, which is what we call the period of about three years following his Baptism in the Jordan during which he went about preaching, teaching, healing, exorcising, etc. During this time he was also making enemies among the Jewish leadership who were envious of his popularity and leary about the soundness of his theology.

The official full title of this Third Luminous Mystery is "The Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Conversion".  That's a mouthful and one can easily see why shorter titles for it have quickly arisen (such as mine above).  But the beautiful thing about it is that it encompasses so much for us to think about and absorb. Let's start doing that by reviewing the basic terms in the original title. This will inform us as to what the Public Life & Ministry of Jesus was all about.  

Proclamation.  The evangelists (gospel-writers) tell us that after his Baptism and 40 days in the desert,  Jesus  returned to Galilee and begins proclaiming, announcing, preaching the Gospel. We are told that this was the simple basic content of his proclamation: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15, translation used in our liturgy)  Or as a much more modern translation of the Bible puts it: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.” (Mark 1:15, The Message Bible translation).  This proclamation remained the heart and soul of everything Jesus said, taught and did right up to his crucifixion and then again after his Resurrection. 

Gospel.  The proclamation of Jesus, encouraging people to change their lives and embrace a new and transformed relationship with God and one another, is called the Gospel. Or in its original Greek vocabulary, the Evangelion which means Good News. In modern translations today it is also being called the Message. And so we say that Christians accept, strive to live and spread the Gospel of Jesus, the Good News of Jesus or the Message of Jesus.  It is the core message of Christianity because its call to repentance and faith are is the doorway through which human beings enter into a an everlasting relationship with God.

Kingdom.  While repentance and faith were the main themes of Jesus' proclamation of his Gospel,  it's focus or goal was the Kingdom of God, aka the Kingdom of Heaven. This does not refer primarily or exclusively to "Heaven" as in our ultimate destination after life on planet Earth.  In other words, this title is referring more to a state of being or a way of living than to a place or destination.  Kingdom in Jesus' ministry means the "authority, lordship, rule, reign" of God in a person's life. The Kingdom of God was the #1 topic of Jesus' parables and teachings.  His many miracles were signs that this Kingdom was bursting into human history and changing lives. 

Call to Conversion.  It is easy, I think, to now see why the second part of Third Luminous Mystery's title is "Call to Conversion". (invitation, summons).  It's obvious to us now that this goes hand in hand with the first part of the title, "Proclamation of the Gospel".  A call is a summons or invitation and Jesus extends this to all human beings without exception. He did it personally when he lived on planet Earth and he has continued to do it throughout history - and even now - through the disciples  (including you and me) who form his Body the Church. Conversion is the translation of the original Greek word metanoia which means complete reversal, a change, a u-turn in the way we have been thinking and living IF this way has been based on the selfish, materialistic, "worldly" outlook.

Putting it all Together.  So when Jesus says,“The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” what he means is the invitation and opportunity to have a new and eternal life with God is being offered to you here and now. And the way for this to happen if for you to have a real change of mind and heart that is shown in a new way of living. Put your trust in me and live out my Message.

DOGGIE BAG: Here are a few things for you to take away for your spiritual snacking throughout the day:

Quote from Pope Francis:  “Let us not forget: if we are to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, our lives must bear witness to what we preach.” (Twitter, 4/14/2013)

Prayer for Radiating Christ:  Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus! Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be mine: it will be You shining on others through me. Let me thus praise You in the way You love best: by shining on those around me. Let me preach You without preaching, not by words, but by my example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You. Amen. (By St. John Henry Newman d. 1890, a favorite prayer of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, prayed daily by her Missionaries of Charity)

Short Prayers to Repeat Silently Throughout the Day: (Choose one or combine all three)

Jesus, I believe in your love for me. 

Jesus, I trust in you. 

Jesus, shine through me to others.

SCRIPTURE VERSE TO MEMORIZE:  "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33, New Living Translation)