Citizens of Heaven
by Fr. David M. Knight
Friday, November 8, 2024
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Phil 3:17—4:1/Lk 16:1-8 (Lectionary 489)
Philippians 3:17 to 4:1: Paul brings things down to a simple question. And it is one of identity. Do we think of ourselves—as a “working identification,” habitually, in the back of our minds—as citizens of this world or as “citizens of heaven”? To be authentic Christians, we have to declare our nationality—to ourselves, at least—and work out of it. Paul ties our sense of identity to a very practical question: are we “set on the things of this world” or of the next? In practice, what do we work for?
In Baptism we received our “job description” as Christians. But probably no one explained it very well or emphasized it in our formation. We were anointed at Baptism, solemnly consecrated by God himself, to be prophets, priests and kings, or stewards of the rule of Christ. Conscious of it or not, that is what we are. Faithful to it or not, that is what we are committed to do. Whether we know it or not, this truth can become our greatest joy. When we become aware of it and accept it, we enter into the mystical experience of being called and sent, chosen and empowered, trusted and entrusted by Jesus himself with responsibility for advancing the reign of God. This gives us life under a new set of terms.
In Jesus’ story of the “prodigal son,” when the younger son received his inheritance, he “traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.” We are in that “distant country” instead of in our “Father’s house” as long as we are not about our “Father’s business.” But Paul tells us to “give thanks to the Father,”
who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.
But as long as we are in this world, we are in temporary exile, and it is important that we recognize it. “For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”
Through our baptismal consecration as “kings,” sharing in Christ’s kingship, we have both the responsibility and the right to try to bring all human institutions and activities under his reign. We are “stewards,” or “managers” of God’s affairs. In Luke 16:1-8, Jesus tells about a steward (oikonomon) who “looked ahead.” We will all be asked to “give an account of our stewardship.”
Initiative: Don’t look around without looking ahead. See the whole picture.
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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