“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand! (Mt 10:7)
Dear Marian Helpers and Members of our Marian Family,
A few years ago, a friend of mine came into the kitchen and excitedly exclaimed, “I have two citizenships!” Thinking that her long complicated drawn-out process of applying for American citizenship had finally been accepted, I was glad to hear the good news and said something along the lines of how proud I was to finally call her a fellow American.
I’ll never forget the look she had on her face when she told me that wasn’t what she meant. What she meant was that, as a baptized Christian, she was also a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Church Fathers in many of their writings, especially in the anonymous Epistle to Diogenes, remind us that our stay on earth is temporary, but our time in Heaven will be eternal. Our earthly citizenships (British, American, Polish, or whatever it may be) have signs: We wave flags; we have passports with various symbols and colours; we have maps or pictures of our favourite places in our countries of birth or the countries where we live.
But what are the symbols of our heavenly citizenship? How do we show that we are Christians, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and members of the Church?
We “prove” our citizenship by the kind of life we live: lives of prayer, love, service, virtue and generosity.
And we live out our citizenship as being good citizens of the nations in which we live and work, too. Above all, we live out our lives as Christians in joy and thankfulness, realizing that God has given us the great gift of eternal life, even if we didn’t earn it. We didn’t…but God loved and loves us so much that He took that burden and debt of sin on Himself so that we could have eternal life and be citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom.
I’m sure you already do so, but continue to pray for one another, as fellow members of the family of God, and as fellow members of the Church. And pray that the Lord will send many vocations of good and holy priests (and deacons and religious brothers and sisters too) to serve the Church and assist the people of God in living lives of faith and trust.
As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are proud to declare that Jesus is our King and that only in Him do we find the peace, love, salvation, mercy, and purpose that we need. And as citizens of His Kingdom, we need to live lives worthy of that title and so serve as joyful ambassadors for Christ.
May God bless you now and always!
Fr Alex Pumphrey, MIC
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Contact Father Alex at info@divinemercy.org.uk
Please send us your prayer intentions! (click here). We will place them at the foot of our altar in the Divine Mercy Apostolate’s Chapel here in West Ealing, London and will remember them in our daily Chaplets of Divine Mercy.
