The Kingdom of God at Hand
Some Christians are intent on climbing to paradise. Others are more “earth people.” They wait for paradise to come down to them and shape them to its dimensions.
The dimensions of paradise in us comprise the large-hearted and minute accomplishment of our duties each day; these duties which are quite the opposite of what might be called a roving spirit of ongoing research. It is this attitude which surrenders to God’s visitation this small parcel of humanity that we are and it is this attitude which fixes us firmly into a disposition of love. Doing our daily duty involves being glad to be
where we are so that the Kingdom of God may
reach us, may spread across this piece of earth
that is ourselves; it is accepting as a large act of
obedience the matter that we are made of, the
family of which we are a member, the profession
that we belong to, the people who are ours, the
continent which surrounds us, the world we are
inserted into, and the time that we are living in. For the duty of our state in life does not consist of some paltry obligation that people talk about sometimes; it is the debt that we owe as carnal children or fathers, as employees, employers, workers, tradesmen…citizens of the world, or as people who are alive in 1941.
It is in paying this debt in contributions of one cent at a time each second that make us just.
SERVANT OF GOD MADELEINE DELBRÊL
1Servant of God Madeleine Delbrêl († 1964) was a French laywoman, writer, and mystic devoted to caring for the poor and to evangelizing culture. [From The Joy of Believing, Ralph Wright, o.s.b., Tr. 1993, Éditions
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