XXVIII — THE TWO KINGDOMS

XIV Sunday after Pentecost

Presence of God. — Sustain, O Lord, my weakness so that I may come to possession of your kingdom.

Meditation

1 — The central thought of today’s Mass is found in summary in the Collect: “O Lord, since without You human weakness falls, by your help may it be turned away from evil and directed to the way of salvation.” Here is man’s position before the spiritual life: he is like a child who finds himself at a crossroads; alone he does not know how to walk, he does not know which way to follow to return home. Two roads open before the Christian: one leads to the kingdom of spirit, the kingdom of God; the other to the kingdom of flesh, the kingdom of Mammon. Which of the two will he choose? Evidently he wants to give precedence to the one leading to God’s kingdom, the peaceful and sweet kingdom described by Jesus in today’s Gospel. But the kingdom of Mammon too — the kingdom of riches and flesh — unfortunately has attractions and tries to entice his heart.

To resist these allurements, the Epistle teaches us that we must fight: “The flesh has desires contrary to the spirit, and the spirit contrary to the flesh; these things are opposed to one another, so that you cannot do all that you would.” The struggle is harsh, and at times it reawakens even in souls already decisively set on the way to God’s kingdom. Why? Because the road that leads there is steep and tiring, and often enters dense mists so that the soul does not realize the path covered, the progress made. Here one must proceed in the dark, believing and praying. Meanwhile the eye falls on the other road: broader, more comfortable, strewn with sensible goods that can be seen, touched, gathered, and enjoyed immediately — one need only stretch out a hand. The soul feels the temptation and also feels that alone it cannot resist it; but if it takes refuge in God, if it lets itself be led by the spirit, it will be saved, though not without sacrifice.

“Walk by the spirit,” St. Paul insists, “and do not satisfy the desires of the flesh.... Now the works of the flesh are clearly these” (Ep.), and the Apostle gives a list far from attractive. It is always so: material goods present themselves with the charm of flowers, but it is a charm soon fading into putrefaction; it is not worth stopping at them. Precisely for this reason “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and concupiscences” (ibid.).

2 — The Gospel again puts us on guard against the attractions of material goods. First of all it affirms that one cannot serve two masters at the same time: God and Mammon, just as one cannot walk simultaneously on two roads: that of God’s kingdom and that of earthly pleasures. Whoever has given himself to God must have the courage to give himself to Him to the end, without regrets, without returns — not even fleeting ones — to the ways of the world. The soul that, after choosing the way of perfection, does not tread it with totality and generosity will never be content: it will not have the joy of feeling wholly God’s, nor the satisfaction of being able to follow all the world’s attractions. The first will be hindered by its infidelity, the second by fear of God still remaining in it. It is an unhappy soul, divided in half, in continual struggle with itself.

But what prevents us from seeking God’s kingdom totally? Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: too much solicitude for material well-being, for comforts and security of present life. Even while wishing to live according to the spirit, as long as we sojourn here below in a mortal body we are always subject to letting ourselves be invaded by material preoccupations: “What shall we eat? What shall we drink? With what shall we be clothed?” To free us from these solicitudes, Jesus presents the marvelous picture of divine Providence: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” These are words that give wings, that make one want to throw away all vain earthly worries, to concentrate on seeking God’s kingdom: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all the rest shall be given you besides.” Oh, if we had greater faith in divine Providence, how much freer we would be to attend to God, to the things of the soul! And even having to occupy ourselves with earthly affairs, we would not remain entangled in them, but would know how to move among them with full freedom of spirit.

Colloquy

“O Lord, now that the flesh has desires contrary to the spirit, and the spirit desires contrary to the flesh, the struggle is mortal. I do not do what I would, because I would to have no concupiscences, but this is impossible. Willing or not, I have them; willing or not, they flatter, stimulate, importune, and always want to raise their head. They can be compressed, but not stifled.

“Your precepts, O Lord my God, are my arms. By your Spirit You have given me the possibility of holding my members in check; all my hope therefore rests in You. You give me to do what You command, and then command me what You will.

“I do not want, O Lord, to be friend of this world, because if I am friend of this world I shall be your enemy. Of created things I want to make a ladder to ascend to You; for if I love things more than You, I shall not possess You. What use to me is abundance of things made by You, if You are lacking to me, You who are their Author?

“Why so much toil for love of riches? Avarice of money imposes labors, dangers, weariness, tribulations, and I, unhappy, submit to them. I submit and do not find what fills the chest, and thus I lose tranquility.

“But what do You command me, O my God? To love You. Loving gold, I set myself to seek it without being able to follow it. But whoever seeks You, You are with him. I would honor, and perhaps I shall not attain it; but whoever loves You without arriving at success — if only I love You, love itself will draw You near. What is sweeter than this love? You are love, my God. I love You with the most fervent ardor, trampling all that allures, resolved to pass beyond” (St. Augustine).