Greatest in the Kingdom

by Chiara Lubich

“Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:19).
Jesus, surrounded by the crowds, went up the mountain to deliver his famous discourse. His first words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek…” already signal the novelty of his message.
They are words of life, of light, of hope that Jesus entrusts to his disciples so that they may be enlightened, and their life may acquire flavor and meaning.
Transformed by this great message, they were invited to transmit to others the teachings they had received and seen translated into life.
“Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Our society today, more than ever before, needs to know the words of the Gospel and to let itself be transformed by them. Jesus must be able to repeat once again: do not become angry with your neighbors; forgive and you will be forgiven; tell one another the truth so that you will not need to take an oath; love your enemies; recognize that you have only one Father and that you are all brothers and sisters; do to others as you would have them do to you. This is the meaning of some of the many words from the “Sermon on the Mount.” If they were lived, they would be enough to change the world.
Jesus invites us to proclaim his Gospel. But before “teaching” his words to others, he asks us to “live them.” To be credible, we should become “experts” in the Gospel, each one of us in turn a “living Gospel.” Only then will we be able to witness to it with our lives and teach it with our words.
“Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
What is the best way to live these words? By allowing Jesus himself to teach them to us, while we draw him to us and among us through our reciprocal love. He will suggest to us the right words to say when approaching people, he will indicate ways and approaches to people’s hearts, so that we may witness to him wherever we are, even in the most difficult environments and in the most complicated situations. We will see the world change, that small part of the world where we live, converted and transformed into a place which lives in harmony, understanding, and peace. What is important is to keep His presence among us alive through our mutual love, being docile and listening to His voice, the voice of conscience that always speaks to us if we are able to silence the other voices.
He will teach us to “obey” even the “smallest” norms with joy and creativity, so as to “polish” to perfection our life of unity. May it be said of us one day what was once said of the first Christians: “Look how they love one another and how they are ready to die for one another.” 1 The Gospel is capable of generating a new society, and we will show this by the way our relationships are renewed by love.
We cannot keep the gift we’ve received for ourselves. We are called to repeat with Paul: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (see 1 Cor 9:16). If we allow ourselves to be guided by that inner voice, we will discover ever new possibilities to communicate, by speaking, writing, dialoguing. May the Gospel shine forth again, through each one of us, in our homes, in our cities, in our nations. A new life will flourish in us; joy will grow in our hearts; the risen Lord will shine forth better… and he will consider us “great in his kingdom.”
The life of Ginetta Calliari illustrates this in an outstanding way. When she arrived in Brazil in 1959 with the first group of focolarinos she was shocked by the sudden impact with the nation’s serious inequality. She committed herself to practicing reciprocal love, living the words of the Gospel. “He will open the way for us,” she said. As time passed, a community developed which was consolidated around her, a community that today numbers hundreds of thousands of people of every social class and age, inhabitants of the favelas as well as members from the well-to-do classes, who place themselves at the service of those most in need. A small “people” who are united and who continue to show that the Gospel is true: this is the dowry that Ginetta brought with her when she left for heaven.
1) Tertullian, Apologeticum, 39:7.