Mt 12,14-21
At this the Pharisees went out and began to plot against him, discussing how to destroy him. Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: Look! My servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul delights, I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will present judgement to the nations; he will not brawl or cry out, his voice is not heard in the streets, he will not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick, until he has made judgement victorious; in him the nations will put their hope.
Pharisees planned a murder of Jesus and as we know this was later carried out with the help of the state power of that time.
We encounter an abysmal malice, which encounters the Son of God and shows in the clearest way how people can deal with God and also with other people.
It was the “murderer from the start” who is the mastermind behind these evil actions (cf. Jn 8,44). History knows enough examples of how the “murderer from the start” continues this bloody trail of injustice against God and against human beings to the present day.
Some days ago the world (14. July) – and especially France – celebrates the French Revolution, which for some is the beginning of the modern age, we remember how then, in the name of human freedom, a “new era” was to begin and the guillotine carried out its murderous work. Many people became victims, including Carmelitenuns, who could not be a threat to anyone except those who felt threatened by a witness of God’s presence alone.
One therefore raises up the new in order to overcome some accumulated injustice, but does so in such a way that one commits injustice oneself, which often has an even greater dimension.
What can become of it?
A cycle of death!
The Lord meets us differently. He overcomes this cycle of death – also for us.
When he heard of the Pharisees’ plan, he evaded their grip and continued his ministry of preaching and healing. The threat did not cause him to stop, but to continue to establish the Kingdom of God in his person.
He did not shout and did not quarrel, which is a very clear indication of how this kingdom of the Lord is to spread. No violence, no coercion, no revenge, no retribution!
It is another kingdom that does not need the outward impressive gestures and display of power. It lives on love and truth and overcomes evil through good (cf. Rom 12,21). It is present where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus (Mt 18,20), where one listens to the Lord of this Kingdom.
The weak man is lifted up, the erring man is enlightened, the widows and orphans are cared for, the guilty man is forgiven if he repents.
This kingdom is open to everyone who hears God’s invitation, whether rich or poor. Only this Kingdom is capable of overcoming the kingdoms of this world, because there is no corruption, no illegitimate claims to power (cf. Mt 20,25-28), because the Lord of this Kingdom even washed the feet of His disciples (cf. Jn 13,4-5).
But how can this kingdom spread among men?
It will only come about through the supernatural love of God. For this, a genuine conversion and a new heart is needed in human beings. The unconverted heart will sink again and again into the cycle of death, it will not rise, it will not be able to realize all those virtues that belong to this kingdom. An unconverted heart that does not transform itself under the help of the Holy Spirit will not be able to bring forth lasting good fruit, despite all its efforts, and will always be on the lookout for supposed and perishable treasures, which will then rot.
For us Catholics this kingdom is perceptible in the heart of the Virgin Mary. It is a heart which belongs completely to God and which has reached perfection through the grace of God! It is a human heart which is open to all people. In the Blessed Virgin we can see how man is thought of by God and how a reign of love looks like.
Only when the kingdom of God is fulfilled “he has made judgement victorious” and the hope of the nations will be realized.
Day by day we can participate in this kingdom by listening to the Holy Spirit and following his instructions.