Creating the Kingdom of God on Earth
“Then he said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches’” (Luke 13:18-19).
The new year is upon us, the last year of the first quarter-century of a new millennium. How did those 25 years go so quickly? It seems just yesterday we were concerned about Y2K!
My business/ministry coach asked me, “What do you want to be true at the end of 2025?” She encouraged me to articulate not just my goals but my aspirations and ideals for this new year ahead. Even though we are now into February, there is still plenty of time for you to pose this question to yourself, too.
Work as Ministry
Articulating our goals involves more than stating objectives and checking boxes. As Catholic women in business, our work is more than business; it is a ministry. When we approach our work as just business, it’s too easy to step back from the holiness toward which we aspire, which is often why we created our business in the first place. When we see our work as a ministry, we invite Jesus directly into the middle of every interaction—every email or phone call, every text or post. We desire to serve Him in all communication with others, as if it were Christ Himself receiving our message. We can breathe when we approach our work from this perspective, knowing we are helping Him create His Kingdom on this earth.
Jesus’ Kingdom was the central message of all of His preaching and teaching, which was the lived expression of Deuteronomy 6:5—“You shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength”—and Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In these two verses, we find the composition of the Kingdom.
For Jesus, it was so simple and straightforward; for His followers, it was challenging in every way. Some were required to be prepared to sell all they owned, give the money to the poor, and follow Him (Matthew 19:21). They were called to forgive not seven times but 77 times (Matthew 18:21-22). And they were to care for widows, orphans, and immigrants with tender, loving hearts (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).
A Daunting Goal for 2025
Creating the Kingdom of God on the earth is an aspiring goal for the new year. It may seem too monumental a task to undertake. However, if we break our work for the Kingdom into smaller pieces, we may find it is not only attainable but also enjoyable.
Look for small ways to assist others who are directly in your path each day. If there is someone struggling with an item in a grocery cart, take an extra minute and help them with a kind word and a smile. Offering to help a neighbor with a challenging task may also help to assuage their loneliness.
Creating the Kingdom of God on earth requires clean hearts that desire goodness for everyone. That does not mean we will never have a negative thought, but it does mean we will exercise our free will to overcome anything that does not facilitate the development of the Kingdom. As Alexandre Havard explains in From Temperament to Character: On Becoming a Virtuous Leader, our temperament is who we are at our core and is not changeable. However, as we build our character through the development of virtue, our efforts moderate our temperament, allowing us to act in ways that are consistent with the woman we are aspiring to become.
The Kingdom of God is not created by perfect people but, rather, by people who are dedicated to creating a just, loving society for all to flourish. God may ask monumental tasks of us, for which He will also bestow His grace upon us. As we each seek to do our part to create His Kingdom on the earth, the tapestry of His beautiful design will emerge. We must surrender our will to the will of God if we want to participate in the creation of God’s Kingdom.
We will never have the full picture, because it is reserved for the saints in Heaven. We do have our part to play, and we must trust that it will be exactly as God wants it to be. It is in staying close to Him that we will know His perfect will for us and how He wishes us to fulfill our part of His plan for the human family.
Kate Walsh-Soucheray, Ed.D., LMFT, Emeritus is a wife of 42 years, a mother of three adult, married children, and grandmother of six beautiful, active grandchildren. She is a former Catholic high school Religion teacher and a former Christian Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Dr. Walsh-Soucheray writes a monthly column for the Catholic Spirit, the Archdiocesan newspaper of Minneapolis and St. Paul, called Simple Holiness. She is now retired and writes and speaks for Catholic women’s groups, Cana Dinners, and leads retreats for Catholic groups about integrating holiness into our everyday lives. Find her daily reflection and encouragement for Catholic women on LinkedIn.