In the light of the liturgy this weekend, I would like us to look at the simple meaning of the Kingdom of God in our life, especially in our family and marriage life. In the Gospel itself, Jesus himself spoke about the Kingdom of God about 126 times. Jesus often explained the kingdom of God in many different places, stories and parables. He tried to help his disciples and the Jews understand clearly how the Kingdom of God could be understood and experienced in very concrete situations of life.

The Gospel of Mark says, The Kingdom of God is God Himself. The Kingdom of God is love itself. In other words the Kingdom of God is God’s very gift to us, to all humanity. It is through God’s gift that we are allowed to love, and understand, and communicate with God Himself. In the light of the readings today, our question is very simple. “How do we experience the gift of the kingdom of God, in our married and family life? When Jesus was tested by some Pharisees about the issue of separation in the marriage under the Law of Moses, Jesus immediately referred them to the book of Genesis. “In the beginning of creation, God has given us a perfect gift of God himself, when Adam and Eve were created in the very image and likeness of God. He created them as a husband and wife, who became one body, to equally love one another, to express the very gift of God, which is love itself”.

The second part of the Gospel this weekend is a perfect example of the Kingdom of God, as a pure gift. When people were bringing little children to Jesus, he said “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you accept the Kingdom of God like these little children, you will never know what the Kingdom of God really is.” Because the Kingdom of God is the gift of God, it is not something that we earn. It is the gift of God. Just as love in a marriage is a gift of God, the life of a marriage is also a gift of God. It is a given, because God loves us. So, let us always and everywhere give thanks to God for his great love for us.

Pope Francis once said, “The ability to genuinely love others is not based on our own efforts or goodness. It is being only and always a gift from God. So let love be sincere. We are called to love, to charity. This is our highest calling, our vocation for excellence. Charity however, is the first and foremost, a grace, a gift, to love is a gift of God. He gives it willingly, if we ask for it”. For sure, there are always some challenges in life, in family, in marriage. We are invited to don’t easily give up. Let us ask God the source of love, to strengthen our love for one another. As we are in the beginning of October, let us ask the Holy Family, especially Mary mother of Christ, to pray for us, to pray for our family and to pray for our children. Thank you.