Brother Thomas and the Kingdom of God

Homily for Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

There was once a young monk (we will call him Thomas) who read the works of St. Albert the Great (whose feast day we celebrated yesterday). He was so caught up in the wonders of God’s creation that he felt called to a vocation that would expand human knowledge of the natural world for the Glory of God.

He went and spoke to his Abbot and told him he felt called to take a long journey to exotic Asia that he might chronicle here to fore unknown wonders in God’s creation. His Abbot was a wise man and suggested that his call might be genuine, but to prepare him for his quest, why didn’t he start with a shorter journey. The one of the order’s other monasteries a few weeks travel away.

Brother Thomas was enthusiastic. He immediately went back to his cell and packed his few belongings and then went to the head scribe of his house and begged a few precious pieces of paper and some charcoal with which to write and draw. He went back to his Abbot to get a blessing for his journey and the Abbot gave him this instruction.

“Thomas,” he said, “God go with you on your journey. As you go to St. Bernard, each day you will be bound to do your office of prayer. When you have finished your office you will spend a short time surveying the area and find one example of God’s creation worthy of more study and create a sketch of that example and describe how you see God’s work fulfilled in it. When you have reached St. Bernard, ask the Abbot there to provision you and send you back to me. We will pray together when you return to see if yet another longer trip is necessary for you, before you leave for Asia.”

Thomas did as his Abbot had requested. When he returned several weeks later, he went immediately to the Abbot and said; “Father, There is no need for me to go to Asia to discover a natural world that reflects God’s creation. His glorious work is all around us and I can spend the rest of my life looking no further than what is just beyond these walls.”

This of course was the result the Abbot had foreseen. It is the same answer the Lord gave us about the Kingdom of God in today’s Gospel. Jesus was asked; “when the Kingdom of God would come?” and he answered; “…behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

· All we need to do is look for the Lord and he will be there for us.
· All we need to do is have faith in the Lord and he will buoy us up.
· All we need to do is ask in His name and we will receive, because the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Pax