Everything would be so simple if men submitted themselves to the loving rule of the Lord, allowed themselves to be filled with His Spirit, and, in this relationship of love with God and with one another, led a full and holy life.
Is this just a dream? Is it simply a desire that dwells in our imagination because we want to escape from a reality that often seems so different? Is it a mere utopia?
No! It is not a dream! Rather, it is the reality that awaits us in eternity if we welcome God’s work in us and respond to it as we should. This reality, foreseen by God, already begins in this earthly life, even though it is still subject to the limitations of our fallen human condition.
If we welcome the event of Bethlehem into our hearts and follow the “King of the Jews who has been born” (cf. Mt 2:2), the Kingdom of God will begin to become a reality. In Jesus we find a King who is completely different from the kings and rulers of this world. He is a King who loves us, who comes to serve us, and who awaits our response of love. To receive this King and Messiah, the people of Israel had to be prepared.
There were many kings in Israel, and of most of them, Sacred Scripture says that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (cf. 1 Kings 22:53). In the beginning, God’s plan was not to govern the people through human kings, but to be their King Himself and to guide them through judges. But the people murmured… They wanted what they had seen in other peoples; they wanted to be like other nations (cf. 1 Sam 8:19–20). The repeated temptation of Israel!
Through the judges and, in particular, through the prophet Samuel, God warned His people and made them see what it would mean to have a king (cf. 1 Sam 8:9–18). However, the people insisted on their desire, so God sent Samuel to anoint Saul as king (cf. 1 Sam 9:15–16).
Later, Jesus would explain to us in simple terms the problem with kings and how their rule should be:
“The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” (Lk 22:25–26).
The light of God shone in the true prophets. Despite their weakness, they fulfilled what God entrusted to them. Through them, God could speak to His people and convey His desires and directives. Just think of Moses, who led the people out of Egypt, or the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, and Elisha, and even John the Baptist. In all of them, God’s presence was palpable to the people, and in them the coming of the Redeemer was also foreshadowed. Moreover, it was they who announced the coming of this Messiah.
Meditation on the reading of the day: https://en.elijamission.net/trust-in-the-lord-2/
Meditation on the Gospel of the day: https://en.elijamission.net/2022/12/01/
