July 26, 2026: The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God

Here's a question I hear now and then: "How do I get to heaven?" That's a good question. But it's too small a question.

Some people think that getting to the kingdom means to just keep the Ten Commandments. That is, don't break the rules, and you'll get in. Others become focused on doing everything exactly right—even the way Mass is celebrated—and they worry one mistake could keep them out of heaven.

Then Jesus comes along in today's Gospel, he doesn't compare the Kingdom of God to passing a final exam or checking all the right boxes. He compares it to discovering a buried treasure or a person finding a pearl of incredible value. When you find that treasure, you gladly give up everything else because you've found what really matters.

Biblical scholar N. T. Wright says that when Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, he isn't talking first about where we go after we die. “He's talking about God's reign breaking into our lives right now. Eternal life begins the moment we begin living under the loving rule of Christ.”

That's why Jesus spends far more time talking about what to do instead of what not to do. For example, the Beatitudes (found later in Matthew’s gospel). When people argue about posting the 10 Commandments, if they are really following Jesus they would argue about posting the Beatitudes instead. The Commandments tell us what not to do. The Beatitudes show us who we are becoming. The Commandments keep us from doing evil. The Beatitudes teach us to become people who are humble, merciful, forgiving, peacemaking, and hungry for what is right. The Commandments tell us not to steal our neighbor's cow. The Beatitudes invite us to love our neighbor enough that we'd gladly help him find his cow.

Think about it. Is there a law that says you have to be kind, to encourage a struggling friend, to forgive an enemy, or to comfort someone who is grieving? No. The best parts of life happen when we go beyond the minimum.

The Commandments are the foundation. They are useful, but they are not the finish line. Jesus invites us beyond simply avoiding sin. He invites us into a life of blessing—a life transformed by his love. He invites us to imagine the Kingdom of God right here, right now. 

There’s a free daily meditation from spiritual writer, Fr. Richard Rohr. It’s fabulous. Go online to the Center for Action and Contemplation and sign up for “Daily Meditation.” 

Recently, Fr. Richard Rohr wrote, “We need a container [the commandments] but if we never move beyond “rules” and discover blessings, we can’t expect to be blessed with the happiness of living in the Kingdom of God. God’s laws are not an end in themselves. Living within them simply frees us to hear the call of the Spirit to the more radical spiritual life of the Beatitudes.” 

Pope Benedict XVI once wrote: "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a Person, who gives life a new horizon." (Deus Caritas Est, 1)  

The Kingdom of God is like a treasure. The treasure isn't a rule book. The treasure isn't being perfect. 

The treasure isn't checking all the boxes. The treasure is Jesus. And once you've found him, everything else begins to fall into place.  Don't spend your whole life asking, “How can I get to heaven?” Ask instead, “How can I create heaven, right here?”