During the past century, The London Times newspaper asked a number of authors to write on the topic: “What is wrong with the world?” The noted author and convert to Catholicism G. K. Chesterton’s answer was the shortest of those submitted – he simply wrote: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton.”
No one needs to tell us that we live in a world filled with cruelty, corruption, greed, and poverty … and an even longer list of big and small problems which everybody would like to solve. Unfortunately, however, nobody does solve them. The gap between “the real world” and “the ideal world” (the Kingdom) seems to grow and grow.
It is worth asking, then, what do we do when confronted with the question from The Times: “What is wrong with the world?” We often seek refuge in collective guilt and we blame the state, the times we live in, and everybody but ourselves. How hard it is to say, like Chesterton did, “I am.”
From the category called “easier said than done,” the only way we can truly break free from all of this and take some personal responsibility for making things better is to act in order to alleviate the hardships and suffering of others. This is how we help build the Kingdom. With patience and perseverance, we can do big or small, but always very practical things to “make a difference.” God’s patience and perseverance in the Gospel for this weekend’s Mass (Matthew 13, 24-43) is our best available model. After all, God is endlessly patient, never in a hurry. He wants to give everybody an opportunity to become better people, so as to make things better in the world and bring about the Kingdom here and now.
Let us pray. “Lord, as we prepare to hear your Word and share in your Sacrament, please help us to know, love, and understand you better. Help us to recognize how you want us to apply your Word to our daily living. Send the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and enkindle in our hearts a greater love for you and for others. In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.”
