Fr. Leo Pabayo .
Last of three parts
JESUS told the people that the longed for kingdom as already in their midst. He spoke of it as being in the minds and hearts of the people. This kingdom was going to be a kingdom of love and of peace, of truth and of justice, etc.. It is in this way that it will be the transforming power in a nation that wants to realize its aspirations.
Christ spoke about this kingdom in terms of parables. One of the parables likened the kingdom to a mustard seed. It starts small. It starts small but when it grows it can be a nesting place of the bird for its young.
Often we think of building a community or a nation with big plans. We want to do everything all at once. The Parable of the Mustard Seed tells us that in building anything of lasting value we have to start small like a mustard seed. It is also like that in building a house in which we start with the first stone or brick or hollow block.
The kingdom of God is being built in every community or nation that people of good will build. It starts small and it starts in the minds and hearts of these people of good will.
The small start of the kingdom of God is in family. It is in the family that we are meant to learn from God what is true and just, love and peace, etc..
When Jesus came to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God he started by first growing up in the family that God has decided that he be born into with the virgin mother, Mary. She was spared by God from the original sin that mankind has inherited by our parents who who fell for the temptation of “the father of lies.”
He would be born and grow up in the embrace of a family with Mary His mother and Joseph as this foster father whom God called to be head of the family he would grow up in.
A kingdom, nation or a state is established to provide for the needs of the citizens. That is a complex business that takes a long time to do. Patience, humility and littleness are important characteristics needed by people involved in building a nation. These virtues are traits of the kingdom of God that are first learned in the family.
A real nation, a real republic, a true democracy therefore has its real beginning in the family that has these virtues. The family is the first living cell of society as John Paul II said. Once we learn from our family the basic things about being human with the virtues of the citizens of the kingdom of God, then and only then can we have the right beginning a larger family that we call a nation.
The last Synod of Bishops called by Pope Francis was about the family. The pope decided to call the Synod Bishops to tackle questions concerning the family. There is a crisis on family life in the world today. The disorder that is wreaking havoc on our society has their origin in the disorder that is corroding family life.
And yet the family is where the talent of true leadership is born and nurtured.
Although Popes occasionally make statements on the political life of the nations, they however do so always in terms of the spiritual life of the people. It is in the spirit, in the hearts and minds of individual persons where we ought to begin if we hope to accomplish anything of lasting value in our political, social, economic and cultural life.
This individual formation however is best done in the context of the family. It cannot be done just individually. Unless social movements have their strong foundation in the simple concerns of the minds and hearts and spirit in the context of the family our efforts at building with true leaders shall be in vain.
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