The anxiety comes when you're stuck between these two worlds
Did you feel any sense of angst in Sunday's Gospel of Corpus Christi? Just like in Jesus' time, we live in a world divided into two realms: the kingdom of God, which is present here and now, and the kingdom of the ruling state, which represents the secular, worldly powers and systems. During Jesus' era, Herod was the local ruler of the empire. Herod considered Jesus a "political" threat to the kingdom he was ruling and overseeing for Rome. Consider our modern counterparts of 'Herods '- those who wield power in the secular world.
Revisit Luke 9:11 and the subsequent verses, and consider your role in this narrative. Notice how Jesus instructs his disciples, 'Feed them.' This is not a passive suggestion but a direct call to action. Jesus, along with his disciples, demonstrated what the Kingdom of God entails and what we should do to contribute to it.
As the disciples witnessed the hunger of the large crowd gathered to listen to Jesus, Jesus responded with compassion. He set up a 'field hospital' and tended to the sick, the lost, and those in need. Consider the social and economic conditions of the people following Jesus that day, the burdens they carried, and the sense of desperation in the kingdom of the ruling state. Jesus' care and concern for them is a source of comfort and reassurance.
Keep in mind that Luke states the number to be 5,000 men. That's important because, at the time, they only counted men, not women and children, so consider all the men who brought their families and relatives with them. There could easily be up to 15,000 people there or more. What politician today wouldn't be overjoyed with a gathering of that size? And you can see why Herod was concerned. And what does Jesus do? He tells his disciples, "Go feed them." He demonstrates what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about—how we are to live our lives here and now. Jesus and his disciples tend to the needs of the people, as explained in Matthew 5-6-7.
The Kingdom of God, here and now, is not the same as the kingdom of our ruling state. Where do we find ourselves? Where do we lean? Do we try to straddle the two kingdoms?
Thomas Merton wrote that "the will of God is not a 'fate' to which we submit but a creative act in our lives that produces something new to change the world. Consider the work of Joseph Cardijn, who created something new and changed the world; we see this "new thing" in the encyclical Pacem in Terris, where Cardijn's influence is evident. We also see it in the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes.
Our life, as we hear in the gospel, is about seeking the Kingdom of God first. This involves opening ourselves to this creative act, which must be embraced within and through us.
We understand how Joseph Cardijn and Thomas Merton lived in the kingdom, all within the context of the present moment.
The anxiety comes when you're stuck between these two worlds. Is it easier to side with the "Herods?" Is that the "safer" position?
Discover your true self in God with the guidance of Cardijn and Merton. Then go and make disciples who make disciples by being a disciple.