Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: There has been a strong tendency among Christians over the centuries to see their own times as the end times. Jesus in today’s gospel, however, tells us not to go running around looking for the kingdom; it already is in our midst. Indeed, the kingdom of God is realized in the very person of Jesus, who is the very image of the invisible God. Let us then strive to open our eyes to recognize the kingdom that surrounds us and is realized for us in our encounter with Jesus.

Saint of the day: Born in England, Lebuin of Deventer was educated in a monastery. He became a Benedictine monk at Ripon, England and was ordained a priest. Lebuin became a missionary to the Netherlands, following in the path of Saint Boniface, beginning in Utrecht. He worked with Saint Marchelm and Saint Gregory of Utrecht and preached in the districts along the Yssel River. He established the first church in Deventer, Netherlands and used it as a base for missionary work to the Saxons and Frisians.

His success caused great hostility among the non-converted pagans who burned his church and spread the rumor that his success was due to witchcraft. Lebuin took his message to the Saxon national assembly, preaching the Gospel during a sacrifice to one of the pagan gods, and prophesying the destruction of their nation if they did not convert. Many of the representatives wanted to kill him, but one spoke up to say that the assembly should treat him as an ambassador from God, and give him the same diplomatic protection. The Saxons agreed, and agreed to respect the rights of Christianity. He died in about 733 in the Netherlands.

Spiritual reading: There is only one true prayer, only one substantial prayer: Christ himself. There is only one voice which rises above the face of the earth: the voice of Christ. The voice reunites and coordinates in itself all the voices raised in prayer. (Jesus: The Word to be Spoken by Mother Teresa)