Pathways to the Kingdom of God
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.
Jesus (Matthew 6:33)
The implication of Christ's words is very instigating, literally. Because He purposely shows us a necessary intent. That’s right!
We need to seek with true intent “the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness”, and only then what is necessary for our survival in this world will be given to us.
The Spiritual Search
With that in mind comes the question: How to seek the Kingdom of God? Is it something physical? Is it located somewhere in this world? Can it be found on GPS?
The answer is: “not yet” (laughs). Why? Christ answers us (Luke 17:20-21):
“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is within you.”
That’s what we need to keep in mind, the Kingdom of God is within us. So when I said “not yet” to the idea of finding it somewhere in this world it is because we still need to work for its materialization. As it is prophesied by Jesus as the New Jerusalem, in His Book of Revelation (John, 21:9-27).
With that settled. Now, how can the Kingdom of God be found within us? Where is it? What is it?
In the same way that it does not come as something observed, it can not be seen inside yourself or in any place of your body or spirit, but it can be felt and perceived through the results of its pursuit. It is all of you. Spirit and Body. Even, the Spiritual Body and the Spiritual Mind. It is engraved in your Soul, that is, represents your whole Self.
So when you seek the Kingdom of God, you are actually looking for yourself. Not what you think about yourself or who you are, but your true Self, and everything that you spiritually represent with Righteousness. That is direction.
The problem is the tendency to think that the Righteousness Christ talks about is automatically bound with our material perspective of the world. It is quite the opposite, it comes from the Spirit, so there is a necessary change of perspective. If that doesn't happen there will be a corrupted view of God's Righteousness, which turns to be the iniquity that Jesus prophesied (Matthew 24:12-14):
“Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
This internal search, it is not something that you do unconditionally, but with a compass. Precisely, a Moral Compass.
The Pursuit of the Divine Kingdom
Jung argues that a pursuit for Individuation is necessary in life, but not for all, because it demands a great measure of sacrifice and openness. The trick is that it can be helpful or not, depending on the psychological state. But, if achieved, we argue that the next step is to strive for Enlightenment. The pursuit of the Kingdom of God is these steps, meaning: the actions and reflections that work in the Spirit to achieve Oneness with God.
That can happen through the Education of the Souls with Ecumenical Spirituality. Which teaches us how to live by the Divine Laws stated by Jesus Christ in this World.
The Boundary of the Kingdom of God
So, it is already comprehensible where it can be found and what is the Kingdom of God. But is there a boundary, a limit as in any other kingdom? Let’s say, like the one stated by Mufasa to Simba: “Everything the light touches... is our kingdom.”
Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is located within us, and as it was discussed that means our entirety: Body and Soul. It could then be concluded that its reach is our entirety, be it imperfect as we are. On that it is acknowledged that the Divine Kingdom is not only where the light touches, but also encompasses the shadow. The comprehension of this depends on our growing capacity as observers of what is in our limits and what goes beyond it.
The Divine Righteousness
The final part is what was presented in the beginning: direction. Which is bound to Righteousness. Not mine, not yours, but God’s Righteousness. It means that the purpose to seek the Kingdom of God is defeated if His Divine Justice is forgotten.
In this process — that is the work of Individuation and Enlightenment of our Spirit — the integration of our light and shadow is necessary. But a journey without a compass or a map can either make us lost or succumb our minds to madness.
The necessary Righteousness of God in our lives is this compass and map. And the One that gives us those instruments is Jesus Christ. Who, through His examples and teachings, shows us the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John, 14:6-7):
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
Our Divine Master, Jesus, is the Moral Compass that shows how to live under God's Righteousness. As Brother Paiva once said: “Jesus is the Compass of our most legitimate hope. Without Him, that is, without Divine Charity, our lives will be lost in the stormy seas of human life.”
On that, the work to seek “the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness” is all the spiritual potentiality of a being to become One with God as Christ is.
