Kingdoms

It seems that man's pursuit of earthy kingdoms has led to the desecration of what should be God's kingdom on earth.  This is not a new occurrence, but we are seeing it with a vengeance today. 

This week's Gospel is a familiar one.  Here is a section, where the devil tries to tempt Jesus.

Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written
            You shall worship the Lord, your God,
                        and him alone shall you serve.”

And what about the devil in the world the today?  Do we see men tempted by the evil one promising them a kingdom on earth?  

I think we do.  I think we see this in the news this very day.

What is our solace?  And what is the solace of victims of war?  These are two different questions.  And I feel like an ineffectual observer discussing this when people across the globe are the ones actually suffering.  

But I will try to offer an answer.  The answer is that Jesus died, but lived again.  So even though our sufferings and death are assured, we know that we will wind up in the true kingdom, the kingdom of God.  How do we know this?  Because Jesus walked that path ahead of us, to show us where we are going.

I can only pray to God that people who are at physical and emotional peril at this moment can feel God's peace.  

This is just an attempt at a pep talk, my friends.  And I hope it means something to you.  I truly believe what I say, though I often have a hard time feeling it.  I hope that you do better than I do.

May God bless the whole world.  May His peace seep into the minds of those who need it most: the innocent victims that they may know peace; and the perpetrators, that they see the suffering they have caused and bring it to an end.

Peace be with you.

- The Older Brother